The Will
by dirtyShoes
Summary: A death in the family, greed, and the secret of his mother's dark past lead Ranma to start a new adventure. Pretty soon, hiding his curse and superhuman abilities from the US government will be the least of his worries.
1. Prologue

_**The Will**_

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi deserves all the credit. All bow down to her awesomeness.

_**Author's note: Hello, all. This is an idea that just popped into my head one day and has been disrupting my focus on other stories ever since. Whether or not this turns out to be popular, I need to get this out of my system. Anyway, today seems like an appropriate day to start this. Shout out to all of the veterans who have been protecting us these past ten years. Those of you that have truly been fighting for the right reasons have nothing but respect and love from me. Stay strong.**_

_**(EDIT) After some thinking, I have decided to rearrange a couple of things in this story. Those of you who have already read this probably know what I'm talking about.**_

_**Prologue**_

What a nice day it was outside, Ranma thought to himself, idly, as he stood shoulder to shoulder with, and sandwiched between, his parents. Were it not for the fact that they currently stood with a group of unfamiliar people around a hole in the ground where his deceased, and estranged, grandfather was slowly descending in his coffin, he may have had company in appreciating the cool breeze that was offsetting the heat of the shining sun that would otherwise have made wearing all black on a day like this hell. Then again, everyone else had reason to disregard such pleasantly cool and dry weather because they were either mourning the loss of a close loved one or attempting to appear as if they genuinely cared.

Ranma rolled his eyes as he noticed his fat panda of a father pull a handkerchief from a pocket on his suit jacket and blow his nose into it as if he were actually crying tears for the poor old man that was nearly at his resting depth of six feet under. He knew better than to fall for the show his pops was putting on for his mother's family. He was also highly disappointed in his mother ever since he discovered her real reason for agreeing to the seppuku contract revolved around inheritance money that she expected to receive from her father's last will and testament. He had overheard his parents having the "private" conversation the night before in the hotel suite they had been staying in for the last few days leading up to the funeral.

It had been enough of a shock for him when he found out that they had to fly to America to attend the funeral. When they had first received the news, several weeks ago, he had asked his mother about it and she had offered a brief explanation of her heritage, which Ranma felt stupid for not having already guessed on his own. How could he have not figured it out? There were plenty of pictures of his mom as a young girl around their house and she had had the same red hair that his cursed form was well known for. At least now he would know what to say when his friends at school asked about the red hair of his girl half. But, seriously, how was he supposed to know that his mom was only three-quarters Japanese when he had spent ten years not knowing anything about her? Nabiki had actually laughed at him when he told them about it, as if she had already suspected something along those lines, and pointed out how dense he was for being caught by surprise. Akane and Kasumi, thankfully, were a little more sensitive about it but not surprised either.

Ranma sighed as he adjusted the collar on his all black suit. This ceremony was dragging on way too long for his tastes and he felt extremely uncomfortable in clothes that were so restrictive. His father elbowed him lightly in the ribs to stop him from moving and Ranma almost elbowed him back but a glare from his mother stopped them both in their tracks.

The burial carried on smoothly for another half hour while everyone paid their respects before gradually dispersing.

_'Thank goodness,'_ Ranma thought as he reached up to loosen the tie that had been slowly strangling him to death. They were one step closer to this unfortunate vacation's end and getting back home. He suspected that his mother had to deal with the situation of her inheritance first though. He watched her as she stepped away to have a conversation with an older gaijin man that he had seen hanging around during the ceremony. His mother accepted a piece of paper given to her by the man before rejoining he and his father.

"Let's go," Nodoka said as she walked right by them. "We don't want to be late for the meeting."

After a short car ride, and an elevator trip inside a small office building, they joined Nodoka's family in an extravagantly decorated office where they waited for her father's benefactor to show up and discuss the terms of the will to everyone.

Ranma, silently thanking his lazy father for making him learn how to translate for them on their trip around the world, had little trouble understanding the conversations his various relatives were sharing in English. After listening for awhile, he determined that there was some sort of sibling rivalry going on between his mom and her sisters. It also seemed that his mother had only sisters and no brothers. He shrugged it off as the same old gaijin man from the funeral entered the office, causing everyone to go silent.

The old man carried a manila folder under his right arm as he walked behind the heavy looking wooden desk at the far end of the office. He took a seat and cleared his throat after shuffling through the contents of the folder.

"Good afternoon, everyone," the old man said making eye contact with everyone in the room one by one. "I would like to begin by saying how sorry I am for your loss. I have worked for Takeshi for many years and knew how important family bonds were to him. He will be missed."

"Excuse me?" one of Nodoka's sisters asked. "Can we get to the point already? We don't have all day."

Ranma frowned. He hadn't expected any of his aunts to be this bitchy. Was everyone here only concerned with money?

"Erm...yes, I suppose that's true. I apologize," the gaijin man replied. "Well, then, let's see here..." he drawled as he shuffled more papers on his desk. "Here we go. As per your father's instructions, each of you will receive one hundred thousand dollars inheritance."

"That's it?" another of Nodoka's three sisters asked. "That can't be right. What about his estate and the family business? He was way too loaded to be leaving us with only one hundred thousand a piece."

"Well," the gaijin man continued as he shuffled through more paperwork, "it goes on to state that the remaining majority of his estate and corporation will go to the family with a male heir that proves himself to be a worthy man according to a list of special conditions he has set up."

Nodoka levelled a smirk at her sisters upon hearing this. She had this one in the bag. Cursed or not, her boy had been sculpted into a man amongst men by her husband. None of her four nephews that were present appeared to be in any way a threat to her Ranma. She finally had the upper hand over her sisters.

"If you don't mind my asking," Nodoka said, "what are the conditions that have to be met?"

"Let's see here..." the old man said as he adjusted his bi-focals and squinted at the paper in front of him. "The proper heir must have at least a high school diploma to begin with. He must also be a capable martial artist and have an ingrained sense of honor to go along with it. Finally, he must distinguish himself, as your father once did, by serving honorably in the United States military. That's all there is to it. The first one to meet all of these requirements will be gifted with his fortune."

_'Ah crap...'_ Ranma thought as he saw his mother's eyes go wide. _'I got a bad feeling about this...'_


	2. Chapter 1

_**The Will**_

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi deserves all the credit. All bow down to her awesomeness.

_**Author's note: Thank you to everyone who has shown interest in this story. You are all far too kind and I appreciate the feedback. Some of you have brought up the issue of Ranma's citizenship status and questioned the reason for him going to the US military as opposed to the Japanese military. I would first like to say that he must go to the US military simply because that is what this story is based around and I started writing it on memorial day. Secondly, I'm pretty sure the JSDF is not a full-fledged military. Don't quote me on it, though. Finally, I did a bit of research and discovered that the US government does in fact offer a citizenship program to immigrants who serve our military under certain conditions. I greatly appreciate your comments and/or criticism, as long as you keep it from being too harsh, and hope to see more. That's that, folks.**_

_**Chapter One**_

Ranma sat atop the roof of the Tendo residence, letting his eyes wander over the cityscape before him. He could almost make out the silhouette of the skyscrapers clustered around the heart of Tokyo as he squinted into the northern horizon. This place had finally begun to feel like his home and he was now attached to the idea of Nerima being the place he woke up to every morning. Now, all of a sudden, he was being asked to leave it behind to go on a money hungry mission for his parents. Forced was more like it, he thought. The amount of leverage they had over him, be it the seppuku contract, the engagement, or just plain 'family honor', was enough to make it practically impossible for him to refuse their requests. Never before had Ranma felt more like a tool. His life was viewed as a means to an end by his parents, it seemed. It was enough to make him sick to his stomach, but not quite enough for him to cast aside his personal honor and completely abandon the obligations placed upon him.

Still, he wondered if entering into another contract with his parents had been a good idea after everything that's already happened. Who was he kidding, anyway? His parents knew exactly which of his buttons to push to get him to do their bidding. Final exams at Furinkan started this week, though, and he had already been getting serious for a while so he was fairly certain he had a diploma in the bag. The part he was really worried about was the military. It was no secret that his curse attracted water like a magnet and he could only imagine how difficult 'serving honorably', as his grandfather's will stated, would be if he were reduced to little more than a test subject of the ever curious United States government.

He had been thinking on that subject for a while and, after eliminating the waterproof soap as a reliable counter, he had begun to explore the effects of using his ki to manipulate the air temperature around his body in a similar fashion to that of his soul of ice. He had quickly discovered that maintaining a steady pulse of hot ki was significantly more draining than trying to cool the air around him. Nevertheless, it was the only option he had complete control over. Besides, Ranma Saotome never ruled things out just because they proved to be more difficult than initially anticipated.

"Ranma! Dinner is ready!" Akane called from down below, breaking Ranma's chain of thoughts.

"Be right there!" he replied before taking one last look at the horizon. He wasn't going to let anything stop him from gaining the freedom his parents had promised him in the new contract. Once he had that, maybe he and Akane could start over from the beginning and go at their own pace. _'I'm getting way too ahead of myself'_ he admonished before shaking it off and leaving the roof behind.

Dinner was quieter than usual due to Ranma's latest fit of introspectiveness. Every one of the Tendos could sense his unease and were wise enough to not say anything that would exacerbate the tension between he and his father. Ranma was thankful for the reprieve since he really didn't have the free time to waste on kicking his father's ass. He was much too busy with the final stages of cramming and planned to go over another study guide with Akane after dinner.

He and Akane had been getting along surprisingly well after the failed wedding attempt and had developed more of a friendly relationship. Such being the case, she had taken it upon herself to offer her help to him when he had let it slip how frustrated he was with school. Thanks to that, the two of them had taken to spending more time together in a non-violent and less confrontational setting. Ranma had quickly found himself looking forward to their study sessions after realizing how nice it was to be able to communicate with her normally. He would be damned if he was going to let anyone disrupt their new routine.

OOooOOooOO

The first day of exams had gone smoothly for both Ranma and Akane. Since the test week was divided amongst three days, the students were allowed to leave as soon as they finished their work for the day. Ranma had only taken a little more than an hour longer than Akane to finish his tests and she had waited for him so they could leave together. When he had suggested they go straight home to do more studying, she had flat out refused, telling him that he had been working hard enough, and that if he kept trying to cram information into his head this late in the game he would spaz out before the test week was over. So, after much convincing, he agreed to take the afternoon off with her and get a little training in.

Currently, Ranma was perched upside down on his head, beside the koi pond, and trying to maintain his focus while Akane sprayed him with a garden hose. So far, he had been able to resist the transformation for up to fifteen minutes while under continuous assault from cold water. His goal was to reach at least thirty minutes before calling it a day, but he still had yet to perfect a more efficient way of managing his ki. This resulted in him getting burned out at about the seventeen minute mark and succumbing to the curse before tumbling into the pond.

"Damn it!" Ranma cursed as she resurfaced and crawled out of the water. She let out an incomprehensible grumble before rolling onto her back in the grass and catching her breath.

Akane walked over and offered Ranma a hand to get up, which the red headed martial artist rudely swatted away before performing a sloppy looking handspring to regain her footing. Ranma stumbled a few feet as her vision blurred before shaking it off and walking toward the veranda surrounding the house. She spared a glance back at Akane before entering the house and noticed the offended look on her fiancee's face but was too upset to bother saying anything at the moment.

She glared at her father as she passed through the living room and made her way to the washroom. After sliding the door shut with a little more force than was necessary, she quickly shed her wet workout clothes and began angrily washing herself off. When she was done with that, she took a dip in the furo and let some of the frustration dissipate after reverting back to normal. Eventually, he was calm enough to realize that the first thing he needed to do after changing into a set of dry clothing was to go and apologize to Akane for acting like a jerk.

Just as he was about to pull himself out of the hot water, the wall seperating the furo and the outside of the house bulged inward moments before exploding open. Ranma dove for cover just in time and grabbed a pair of his dirty, but dry, sweat pants from the hamper so he could be at least partially clothed for whatever fight he was about to get into. Before the dust settled, Ranma was forced to dodge to the left to avoid a glomp from Shampoo as she came sailing through the air toward him.

"Shampoo? Seriously?" Ranma asked, almost in disbelief. "Since when did you stop using doors again?"

She looked at him with a sad, yet sort of hopeful, expression on her face before replying. "Shampoo find out that you leaving Japan soon and come to see you right away. Please don't go!" she pleaded. "Great grandmother say it too too risky for us to follow you to America so you must not go. You must stay ... with Shampoo?"

"First off, it's not even my decision. This is my parents doing, yet again. Secondly, how in the hell did you even find out about it?" he asked. "I haven't told anyone outside of this household."

"Shampoo follow mercenary girl on facebook for latest update about you," the amazon admitted coyly. "She only charge small fee for friend request."

Ranma fought the urge to face-vault. "This is like the last wedding all over again. She's putting all of this sensitive information out there without my permission. I'm gonna have a talk with her about this. Listen, Shampoo. I really don't have time for this. I got a lot on my plate right now and I can't deal with you too. Please just leave me alone for now."

"You promise to take Shampoo on date before you leave, and Shampoo not bother you until you ready," she offered. "Deal?"

Ranma sighed in resignation. "Okay, deal. Now get outta here before Akane has my hide for this."

Shampoo giggled excitedly before quickly planting a kiss on his cheek and whispering into his ear. "Shampoo know you no like girls too too pushy or violent, so Shampoo be patient and wait as long as it take. Don't worry, Shampoo always be there for you if you just ask. Even if you never want to marry. Aishiteru," she said before departing.

Ranma was left quite speechless as everyone from the house showed up just in time to watch Shampoo depart. Somehow, without his noticing, Shampoo had grown into a genuinely sweet and caring girl. When had her obsessiveness over the kiss of marriage changed? She hadn't even referred to him as her 'airen'. Ranma had plenty of time to think about those things, and everything else on his mind, after Akane's mallet launched him into the air. _'The more things change, the more they stay the same,'_ he thought as the fresh air whipped through his hair.


	3. Chapter 2

_**The Will**_

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi deserves all the credit. All bow down to her awesomeness.

_**Chapter Two**_

Three short months had passed since Ranma had been enlightened to the fate his mother had chosen for him. In that time, he had been forced to prepare himself for what he considered to be a pivotal trial that would greatly influence his life as an adult. Compared to what lay ahead, obtaining his high school diploma had been a walk in the park. Even the hectic studying he had done to advance his English speaking skills to an acceptable level paled in comparison to the physical and spiritual training he had endured to develop his resistance to the water triggered curse he so feared would be his downfall.

Despite all of the pressure he felt, he still managed to maintain the majority of his confidence. His experience at Jusendo had made it impossible for him to be overwhelmed by anything other than another life or death situation. He knew it was very possible that his current path might lead him into another situation like that, but he also wasn't the type to dwell on it. He would cross that bridge when, and if, he came to it.

As his taxi neared the MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) building in sunny San Diego, California, he steeled his resolve. If he thought of this as just another random challenge, it seemed painfully easy. He was a super powered martial arts prodigy after all. It was highly unlikely that the United States Marine Corps could put any obstacle in his way that he wouldn't be able to get around, or smash through, if the situation called for it. With that thought in mind, he cheerfully exited the yellow cab and walzted straight for the front door of the plain looking building.

He was disappointed to find a long line of recruits between him and the check in station at the far end of the lobby. He highly disliked being put in a position where he was forced to be patient. If this were any other time, he might have snuck away to change into a girl and then come back to flirt his way to the front of the line, but doing so here was obviously out of the question. He sighed in resignation before falling in at the end of the line.

After about twenty minutes spent on a slow shuffle towards the check in counter, he was finally admitted and escorted further into the bowels of the building. His trip through the corridors led him passed several offices that each represented a different branch of the military. The member of MEPS personnel that had been leading him brought their trek to a halt at a white counter attended by three people dressed in plain blue scrubs. The wall behind them was a giant shelf loaded down with files in manila folders.

The young recruiter explained to Ranma that these people would give him some paperwork to hold onto while they arranged for him to join the next group of recruits for a full body physical. Ranma took it all in stride and allowed the new people to direct him to the next waiting area where he was surprised to see even more young people like himself seated in another sub-lobby with rows of chairs. He suddenly had a feeling he was going to be spending at least the next few hours stuck in this building, if not more.

As seats were scarcely available, he was forced to find a spot between two complete strangers. It didn't take him long to notice the two distinct types of people occupying the room. The first type, and majority, were extremely boisterous and openly going on about how confident they were that they would kick ass at everything that was thrown their way to anyone who would listen. Those remaining were possessed of a quiet sort of resolve mixed with a nervous apprehension which may or may not have been associated with the realization that their country was currently at war and there was a very real possibility that they, or any of the people around them, would not live long enough to return home.

Ranma wasn't entirely sure which category he fell into. He was definitely confident that almost nothing would stop him from acheiving his goals. However, he didn't boast about how many "towel heads" he was going to frag or how some "pansy-ass drill instructors" wouldn't be able to intimidate him. He wasn't struck silent by apprehensiveness either, but just found it unnecessary to run his mouth. He was content with simply observing the back and forth of his peers. Though, the fact that his English was still sub-par may have influenced him to sit back and let everyone else do the talking for the time being.

Just as Ranma was beginning to get settled in his chair, a pair of doors at the far end of the room were opened and he, along with everyone else, got ushered into a new area. The doctors quickly organized the crowd he was a part of according to their last names. He and several others were thus forced to wait in line while the "A's" got an early start.

From there on, time seemed to speed up as Ranma was directed from station to station where everything, including his eyesight, hearing, height, and weight, were measured. He also had to endure the dreaded turn your head and cough while some old guy cupped your sack schtick, which was never fun no matter how it was sliced. His processing then led him into another area where his physical abilities were measured by desk jockeys from the particular branch of military he was about to enter. Since practically all of his ki was constantly focused on maintaining his tight temperature sheild from water, his pull-up and push-up count was limited to just over a hundred for each. That had simultaneously earned him praise from his new superiors and more than a few glares from his weaker peers who thought he was purposely showing off. He had honestly just wanted to test his physical limits without ki augmentation and found himself slightly disappointed at the result.

Once all of his fellow Marine Corps recruits were done, they were all led into another part of the building to take the oath that would signify the official start of their contractual service. That was followed with another bout of lobby room waiting until the bus that was supposed to shuttle them to boot camp arrived. Ranma had a sneaking suspicion that the military liked to intentionally test the patience of its employees. He was already getting antsy from being cooped up in a building most of the day. At least at Furinkan he had the fights to break up the monotony. He hadn't even seen one window in this building since leaving the lobby by the main entrance.

"Hi no hikari..." Ranma drawled as he slouched further into his chair. A dark skinned teenager seated next to Ranma quirked an eyebrow in his direction. He noticed the inquisitive look the guy was giving him and volunteered an explanation. "I want to see daylight," he said slowly and carefully. "This place too cramped."

"Yeah, no shit, right?" the guy replied with a nod of agreement. "I been here since this morning. I thought gettin' an early start woulda meant gettin' outta here early but that don't mean shit to these people. They say wait, we wait. Say keep waiting, we keep waiting. Better get used to it, man."

"Feh...I can wait. Does not mean I like it," Ranma clarified.

"Yeah, that's fo sho, man. I feel you. What's your name, by the way?"

"Saotome...Ranma," Ranma replied tentatively, not sure if he had fully understood. It sounded almost as if the guy had asked to feel him up. That made absolutely no sense when he thought about it rationally though, so he chalked it up to slang that was currently beyond him and hoped he was right. "You are?"

"I'm Theodore, but everyone who knows me just calls me Teddy. Nice to meet you, Saotome," Teddy said, in an official tone, while proffering a hand to be shaken.

Ranma eyeballed the hand momentarily before remembering that it was a common custom to return the gesture. He shook hands with Teddy and immediately noticed that the guy was stronger than he looked. Ranma guessed that Teddy was at least an entire head taller than himself while standing up and the baggy clothing he wore added to the perception that he was weak and lanky underneath it all. Teddy's grip told him otherwise. He released Teddy's hand and repeated the greeting. "Nice to meet you, Teddy. You can call me Ranma."

"Lanma? Ain't that your last name though?" Teddy asked.

Ranma shook his head. "Ranma," the cursed martial artist said, with emphasis on the "R". "Saotome is family name."

"Ah, ok, I gotcha. That's cool man. So, what you gonna be doing in the military?"

"Uh...what do you mean?" Ranma asked.

"Your specialty field, bro. You know, the job that you'll be doing while you serve? I'm gonna be an MP so when I get out it'll be easy for me to get a job in law enforcement. Makes sense, right?" Teddy added.

"Oh that!" Ranma said, having finally made the connection. "I signed up to be martial arts instructor."

"You know kung fu or something?" Teddy asked.

"I know lot of different martial arts," Ranma said with a confident smirk.

"That's pretty cool, man. Maybe if I'm lucky we'll be in the same platoon at boot camp and you can give me a few pointers, eh?"

"Maybe," Ranma replied.

It looked like Teddy was about to say something else but instead stopped himself and directed his attention to something over Ranma's shoulder. Ranma twisted around to see what was so interesting and noticed a man, who could only have been a drill instructor, standing at the entrance to the room. He wore an extremely neat and clean camoflauge uniform with his pant legs tucked into his boots. The drill instructor held his wide brimmed hat under his right arm as his gaze crossed the room and passed over everyone including Ranma. Several seconds passed before the man spoke in a raspy voice loud enough to address everyone.

"Stand up," the drill instructor said in a commanding tone.

Ranma, along with the motely group of recruits, picked himself up and then stood there, not knowing what else to do.

"Sit down," the drill instructor said in the same raspy and demanding tone.

The pigtailed martial artist took part in the collective confusion with the other recruits before shrugging it off and sitting back down.

"Stand up," the drill instructor repeated.

The repetitiveness was starting to bother not only Ranma but, he noticed, almost everyone else. The varying levels of agitation shown on the other recruits' faces were hard to miss.

"Sit down."

"Excuse me," said the blonde kid to Ranma's far left as he raised his hand. "What's the point of this again?"

The drill instructor marched straight for the blonde guy, pushing people aside as he did so, and put his face within inches of his. He loomed over the shorter guy and projected an air of intimidation. "You will sit when I say sit. Understood boy?"

"O-ok fine, geez. You didn't have to drool all over me," the guy replied before sitting down.

The drill instructor had an extremely irritated look on his face when he addressed the room as a whole. "Listen up and pay attention. The first and last thing I want to hear out of any of your mouths is the word 'Sir'. If myself or any other drill instructor hears you speak to them otherwise, you will be disciplined. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Sir," several of the recruits droned out in unison.

"Everyone will begin and end every sentence with 'Sir!'" the drill instructor shouted abruptly, causing almost everyone to go stiff. "Try again!"

"Sir, yes, Sir," everyone chorused this time.

"Louder!" the drill instructor said.

"Sir, yes, Sir!" everyone shouted.

"Better," the drill instructor replied, returning his voice to its normal raspy level. "Now, I'm going to give everyone here until the count of ten to form a line behind me so I can lead you outside and to the bus. Understood?"

"Sir, yes, Sir!"

"Ten...nine...eight..."

As the drill instructor counted down, everyone scrambled away from their seats and into the center row before forming a messy line behind him. Unfortunately, the drill instructor's count went from slow to extremely fast about half way through and they failed to complete the line before he shouted zero.

Ranma frowned at the obvious cheating that the drill instructor was doing and was tempted to say something about it but decided against it after reminding himself that he wasn't here to cause trouble or draw unnecessary attention to himself. He just resigned himself to playing along with the instructor's annoying little games for now. Sure enough, the drill instructor had them dissolve and reform the line three more times before finally leading them outside to the parking lot.

The sun was already beginning to sink below the horizon at this point, but it made no difference to Ranma. He was just happy to feel the cool breeze on his skin and smell the fresh air after sitting inside all day.

Ten minutes later, he and his new peers were loaded onto the bus and cruising down the freeway toward their new home for the next thirteen weeks.

_**Next chapter! Let the head shaving begin! Feedback will be appreciated, by the way. Thanks for reading.**_


	4. Chapter 3

_**The Will**_

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi deserves all the credit. All bow down to her awesomeness.

_**Chapter Three**_

Sweat dribbled down Ranma's forehead as he stood completely still. The sun beat down on he and his fellow platoon members as they waited outside of the barber shop attached to the PX (Postal Exchange) near the front of the base. He had known this day was coming ever since he had found out that he would be entering the military, but he still wasn't completely ready to face the reality of parting with his pigtail for the long term. Never before had he so desperately wanted the curse of the dragon's whisker to return.

He was one of the few new recruits on base who hadn't already taken the liberty of buzzing his own head in advanced anticipation and those were the very people that had been giving him weird looks since being sorted into platoons the previous evening. Perhaps, for the sake of blending in and flying as low on the radar as possible, he would have to embrace the baldness with the same ferocity his peers had.

Ranma huffed and blew his bangs away from his eyes without moving his head or breaking the position of attention he currently stood in with everyone else. He used his peripherals to look around and count how many people near him actually had hair longer than average. Misery loved company, after all. He was only able to see one other person who shared his current predicament. Was that really how he looked? No wonder even more people were staring at him today. Long hair just didn't look right hanging over the camoflauge uniforms they all wore. Well, that settled it. If he couldn't look cool sporting a tail in camos, then it had to go. He could always grow it back later anyway.

He filed into the barber shop behind several other guys after his drill instructor directed them to move forward. Inside of the shop, there were six old barbers, six swivel chairs, and six electric buzzers howling loudly as they skated across the heads of guys from another platoon. Ranma swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to ignore the chill that ran down his spine, but the presence of three forboding sixes was already setting alarms off in his head. Was it a sign from beyond warning him not to go through with it? What if they buzzed his hair and it never grew back? Maybe the dragon's whisker had lingering effects that would doom him to early baldness if he didn't escape with his hair intact right now.

Ranma tensed up when he heard one of the old men call out "next" and the line moved forward. _'Shit! What should I do?'_

The soon to be formerly pigtailed martial artist began sweating profusely as his modified 'soul of fire' technique began to lose stability due to his extreme mental distress. He failed to notice what he was doing until the room temperature of the small shop reached sauna levels and caused a few of the weaker recruits, as well as two of the old barbers, to pass out from mild heat strokes. This, in turn, resulted in the intervention of the hair buzzing process by several drill instructors when they rushed in to provide aid to the victims of the mysterious indoor heat wave.

Ranma felt ashamed for accidentally hurting those people but it was quickly brushed aside when one of the drill instructors announced that the hair buzzing would be postponed until after lunch. Hooray for keeping his hair for another three hours!

After the little barber shop fiasco was sorted out, Ranma and his platoon were formed up in the parking lot outside of the building. The drill instructor mouthed off at them about being pitiful examples of recruits for failing to assemble within his unfairly quick countdown and then forced them to repeat the falling in procedure two more times before finally giving the "forward march" order. When the pitter patter of disorganized feet stomping too close each other finally resulted in several people tripping and stumbling, the drill instructor shouted a loud "halt". Ranma rolled his eyes and sighed as he anticipated what was about to come out of the man's mouth.

"What in the hell is wrong with you all? Do I have to reteach every damn pissant in this platoon how to walk correctly?" the stocky drill instructor shouted. "Well?"

"Sir, no Sir!" everyone chorused.

The drill instructor grumbled to himself before glancing at his wrist watch. "Let's try this again. Forward...march!"

Ranma easily matched his footfalls to the "left, right, left" cadence once again as they took off toward wherever their DI (drill instructor) was leading them. It wasn't long before several people, himself included, had to break the pace in order to avoid the dreaded flat tire from certain other people who lacked the ability to maintain a rhythym for longer than thirty seconds. Ranma bristled at the thought of stopping to repeat every mundane task several times over for the next thirteen weeks because of incompetent people in his platoon. _'I'm gonna go nuts if this keeps up for much longer...'_

To Ranma's chagrin, a very slow and difficult march preceeded their arrival at the base clinic where they were subjected to more medical inquiries before being given "immunization shots". After being injected with various chemicals, to which he was clueless about their function, Ranma found himself feeling slightly queasy. He hadn't eaten since breakfast, and noon was drawing near, but it was unusual for him to feel quite so weak in between meals without having done any strenuous activity all day. He hadn't even considered the possibility that he could be experiencing an allergic reaction until the guys from his platoon told him that his face was rapidly turning a dark shade of red.

Ranma looked down and noticed that it was quickly spreading to his hands as well. _'Aw, shit! It's messing with my ki flow. My skin is...getting hotter...damn it!' _He silently cursed his luck before very reluctantly dropping his 'soul of fire' technique to quell the reaction. His usual defenses simultaneously went on high alert for anything cold and wet that might try to rear it's ugly head in his general vicinity. Just as he thought he was getting things under control, one of his platoon mates alerted their DI that something was wrong with him.

"What? No, I am fine. Honest!" Ranma protested as the strong and stocky DI forcefully escorted him to the emergency infirmary where he was then deposited into a room with several beds divided by white curtains.

"Stay put," the DI ordered before hailing a passing doctor and bringing her over. "This one's having an allergic reaction to something. I need him checked out."

The attractive female doctor nodded in affirmation before grabbing a clip board with paper and a pen from her coat pocket. "You can go ahead and leave for now. I'll notify you when he's ready."

"Thanks," the DI replied before disappearing around the curtain.

Ranma backed himself into the wall as the young woman approached. She was clearly concerned by his unhealthy appearance but all he could think about was how slow his ki aided healing seemed today.

"Well, aren't you a nervous one," she commented as she jotted down a few notes on the paper. "I'd take a seat if I were you. You might be here for a while."

Ranma hesitated under her expectant gaze before finally giving in and taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

"There, isn't that better? Now, why don't you tell me what you're feeling?"

"I feel fine," Ranma replied quickly.

"I know you're new here, and all, but I shouldn't have to remind you that this _is_ the military _and_ everyone currently outranks you, including _me_. So, let's cut the shit and get you fixed up, shall we?" she finished with a friendly but firm smile.

"Y-yes, Sir, I mean Ma'am," Ranma blurted. He cringed. "Sorry..."

Her flat stare told him to just give up and drop it. "Okay then...let's try this again. How are you feeling? Feverish, dizzy, nauseous, weak...all of the above?" she rattled off while tapping her pen against the clip board.

"I am...a little hot," Ranma admitted. Before he could elaborate any further, the woman had an electronic thermometer out and was aiming it for his mouth. Three minutes later, the alarm on the annoying device beeped harshly to alert all ears that there was a temperature emergency.

"Jesus Christ! One hundred twelve?" the woman exclaimed while staring at him with wide eyes. "This thing must be broken," she muttered before reaching a hand out to touch his forehead. "Wow, you're really hot. This isn't good. Lay down."

"I am tougher than I look," Ranma said. "I will be fine. Can I please just go?"

"Lay. Down. Now." She wasn't making a request.

Ranma quickly complied but openly expressed his opposition to the idea by wearing his best frown. He continued glaring as she left the curtained area momentarily and returned with a tray full of stuff. His eyes widened the moment he saw what she had brought. A pitcher of water, folded cloth, cold packs, ice, cups, and pills. His spider sense was far beyond tingling by now.

"Get that away from me!" he shouted, louder than necessary, as he bolted upright on the bed.

The unexpected outburst caused the young woman to fumble the tray and send it flying into the air. Time slowed to a crawl as Ranma's ki surged to his limbs. The airborne tray was right above him at this point. His right leg shot up in a vertical kick to deflect the tray but the pitcher of water had already branched onto another trajectory so it didn't get knocked out of the way by his foot...

_**Ah, how I've missed using cliffhangers. It's been too long, old friend. Hate me if you must, but I just couldn't resist. Next chapter! What will become of Ranma's closely guarded secret? I hope you're as excited as I am. Stay tuned. Excelsior! Lol...**_


	5. Chapter 4

_**The Will**_

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi deserves all the credit. All bow down to her awesomeness.

_**Chapter Four**_

"Ore ga...hozon shite imasu..." Ranma breathed as he held the caught pitcher, still full of water, in two hands shaking with adrenaline. _'That was way too close for comfort'._

"What the fuck was that all about?" the young doctor yelled at him after recovering from the shock of his outburst. "Are you a crazy person or something? I was trying to help you! I could have you punished for insubordination!"

"I-I am...very sorry. I was dizzy and confused...I do not feel so good anymore," Ranma replied while bowing his head slightly and desperately hoping she bought his excuse. "Please, help me?"

The doctor gave pause while she scrutinized him with a sidelong glare. "You have pretty good reflexes for a sick person," she said after a while. "Even so, I suppose anyone with a fever of one hundred twelve might experience hallucinations. That is, of course, if you really have that high of a fever and the thermometer I used wasn't just broken," she added.

The suspicion was still evident in her tone, Ranma noted, as he watched her eyes drift toward the pitcher of water he had worked so hard to catch without spilling. They lingered there longer than they should have before finally reestablishing contact with his face. He got the feeling this woman was working something out in her head and hoped to all that was holy that she didn't press the issue.

"Ok, then," she started off. "Give me that pitcher, lay back down, and I'll give you some pills that will bring your fever down. If I get even a hint of another outburst like that, I'll sedate you. Understood?"

"Yes Ma'am," Ranma replied before very carefully offering up the pitcher for her to take.

The young doctor approached the side of his bed and reached her hands out for the pitcher. As soon as Ranma relinquished control of the pitcher to her, she deliberately upended it and drenched him. Ranma cursed, with her feminine soprano voice, in Japanese before leaping backward off of the bed and clinging to the wall. Her soaking wet red bangs shielded her view of the lady doctor's reaction. She did, however, hear the woman mutter something too quiet to hear properly. Whatever it was didn't matter to Ranma, though. Her cover was blown and she had to make a decision about what to do as quickly as possible.

There were really only two choices available to her when she thought about it. On one side, she could invoke the umisenken technique to make a stealthy escape from this entire charade and just disappear without leaving a trace for anyone, including the people that liked to call themselves her family. It was their fault she was in this mess after all. However, she did swear an oath to be here and she even promised herself that she would do whatever it took to fulfill her part of the contract with her parents. Granted, no Saotome was above running away, as proven by the crouch of the wild tiger technique, but she felt that running was less suitable for her as opposed to her old panda.

On the other side, here she was in this now empty infirmary, save for one other person, and nobody else had apparently been anywhere within earshot for the past few minutes. If anyone had been, the place would be swarming with other doctor's and DI's by now. So, there was only this one little woman standing between her and keeping her curse quiet. Perhaps, with a bit of exaggerated threats, she could intimidate this doctor enough to ensure that her mouth would stay shut.

"Oi, you," Ranma said in the deepest voice her vocal chords could muster.

The young woman blinked a few times and realized that she had just been standing there with her jaw hanging slack. "Um...are you...?"

Ranma flared her ki a little bit and moved with inhuman speed to get behind the doctor. She smirked when the woman boggled at her apparent disappearance. "Turn around," Ranma said to get her attention.

The woman did so and found herself taken by surprise when Ranma put her face within inches of her own. "What the hell...are you?" she asked.

"What I am...is demon," Ranma snarled, baring her teeth as she flared her hot ki into the visible spectrum to create a glowing aura of red around her body. "I will consume your soul..." She did her best to froth at the mouth.

"Sorry, I don't believe in those," the woman replied. "You'll have to come up with something better. You definitely seem to be a woman now, though. Stacked too," she noticed, eyeballing Ranma's bulging chest area. "Interesting how that happened..."

This wasn't going well at all. This lady's curiosity was overpowering the shock and fear she should be feeling. Damn Soun Tendo for making intimidation look way easier than it actually was!

"Fine," Ranma huffed, dropping the aura and the voice. "So, I am not demon, but I can still do terrible terrible things to you."

"Care to elaborate?" the doctor asked as she found her clip board and clicked the pen in her hand into the ready position. Her eyes were wide with interest and her lower lip was being chewed on in anticipation.

Ranma facepalmed while sighing heavily in exasperation. "Listen, woman. All you need to know about is that I can hurt you very bad and I know where you live."

"No, you don't," the doctor replied with utmost confidence and no sign of fear.

"Okay, maybe not," Ranma admitted. "But...I will find out. You must not tell anyone here about this or I really will bring big pain. What you see is only tiny bit of what I can do."

"Oh, I do _so_ hope you're telling the truth. Anyway, as far as telling anyone here about it, your secret is safe with me," she replied with a mysterious wink.

"Huh?" Ranma blurted intelligently as she scratched her head. That was way too easy. This woman was reminding her more and more of Nabiki with every passing second. Something wasn't right with the way she was acting in regards to the situation.

"I'll let you in on a little secret of my own since you so graciously allowed me to see yours," the dark-haired blue-eyed doctor said, bringing her voice down in volume. "I hate working for the military. The dress code, all the rules, the food even," she said as she ticked off a finger for each. "It all sucks. I'm only here because they're footing the bill for my medical school. As soon as my contract is up, I'm going right back to the private sector. And you, my new little project, are coming with me. I'll become rich and famous. Aren't you excited for me?"

"Thrilled." Ranma's half-lidded glare and slight frown said otherwise.

"Hey, don't look so gloomy. I could make it worth your while, in more ways than one, if you're nice," she added with a suggestive wink.

Ranma visibly shuddered.

"Anyway, you should hurry up and do whatever it is you need to do to be a man again so we can keep this under wraps and continue later on," she said.

"I need hot water," Ranma said.

The blue-eyed young woman scribbled a note onto her paper before replying. "So, that's a catalyst for your change?"

"Cata-what?" Ranma asked.

"Nevermind. I'll be right back with the water," she said before side-stepping Ranma and leaving the bed area once again. She made sure to slide the curtain shut on her way out.

_'Why me?'_ Ranma thought before stepping up to the nearest wall and lightly bashing her skull against it.

_**Sorry for the extra short chapter, but I just really wanted to get this posted. Well, it's more of a finale to the last chapter anyway. Next chapter! Basic training continues with the secret intact! For the most part... R&R please :-)**_


	6. Chapter 5

_**The Will**_

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi deserves all the credit. All bow down to her awesomeness.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Apparently, my telling of this story has struck a raw nerve out there. While it amuses me to no end that someone got so worked up by this simple work of fiction that they felt the need to write their own story in a review, I feel compelled to remind everyone why we're all here. We, as peers, are here to read and/or write fiction and to generally enjoy imaginative expansions of our chosen fandoms. Let us not forget, however, our grasp on real life. There's a time and place for everything, but people who get angry enough to pop blood vessels over fictional stories, especially ones based on a cartoon, are a special kind of adjective (refer to definition). PATHETIC: pitifully inferior or inadequate. Enjoy the story :)**

_**Chapter Five**_

A week had passed since Ranma's unfortunate meeting with Doctor Donna Pazzo, the young woman who had uncovered his curse. The revelation of his curse to the crazy woman, coupled with the buzzing of his head, had made the young martial artist's acclimation to military life significantly more stressful than he thought it should have been.

As he stood on the grassy field among his peers and stretched in preparation for early morning PT (Physical Training), he was reminded of his earlier misfortune with the immunizations. His ki flow was still being mildly disturbed and it took nearly all of his focus just to maintain the soul of fire against the slight drizzle of rain that permeated the atmosphere.

After the stretching session ended, the three DI's in charge of his platoon led everyone in several sets of crunches, jumping jacks, push-ups, and mountain climbers. When nearly everyone was sufficiently winded, they were then instructed to begin their three mile jog around the long track.

All the effort Ranma was putting into his water shield made him painfully aware of his handicap when, less than halfway through the routine jog, the rest of his platoon began to steadily catch up with and pass him. He fell to the back of the pack for the second day in a row and steeled himself for the inevitable attention one of the DI's was going to give him.

"Saotome! What is your malfunction, boy?" a DI shouted as he slowed his pace to match. "Do you like being made an example of, or what? Pick up the pace!"

Ranma suppressed a growl and pushed himself harder despite the protests of his body. The DI was going to regret bothering him just as soon as the rain stopped.

When lunch finally rolled around, he didn't even bother to regulate the pace of his eating and paid no mind to the spectacle he was creating in the mess hall. If anything, the DI's from every platoon present were impressed with his speed and efficiency. He vaguely registered the DI's shouts urging everyone else to quit dawdling.

The afternoon weather was, thankfully, dry and clear. Not that it mattered much anyway. Ranma and his platoon were forced to sit indoors and subjected to classes ranging from history of the USMC to military conduct and general orders. It was mind numbingly boring at best.

The highlight of his day was the very last outdoor class they had before evening chow. Self defense. Ranma found the entire ordeal amusing as the instructor, who was a so-called specialist in the field of mixed martial arts, attempted to parlay the new recruits into masters of a few basic manuevers. After several rounds of practice, they were paired up and instructed to take turns demonstrating a basic judo takedown for their platoon's head DI.

Ranma dominated despite his best effort to appear average. When the DI in charge of the class inevitably asked for a volunteer to step up and face off against their platoon's youngest DI, Ranma was pushed forward by the recruit he had been partnered up with. The kid must've wanted revenge for being made to look like a fool.

The practioner of Anything Goes simply shrugged it off. He didn't mind one bit. If he had to be picked upon, he might as well use the DI as an example to let everyone know he was not a person to be fucked with. He knew this went against his oath to fly below the radar, but he did owe this particular DI one for giving him shit about his jogging the last two days. With any lucky, it would only take one minor demonstration for him to get the point across.

Ranma walked across the ground that was padded with wood shavings and joined his DI in the circle that was lined with log segments. He smirked when the man took a ready stance. Ranma sunk into his usual non-chalant stance that every new opponent always seemed to misinterpret as him leaving himself unguarded.

The DI regarded him carefully. Ranma decided to egg the guy on a bit by pulling the bottom part of his eyelid down and sticking his tongue out. As expected, the solidly built man played right into his trap and broke the stand-off by coming in for a grapple manuever. Ranma flowed like liquid around the DI's limbs and effortlessly manipulated the guy into a judo throw.

He gave the DI space while the man rolled off of his back and returned to his feet. Ranma sniggered as the DI attempted to dust the wood shavings off of his uniform. This guy was clearly not used to being on the receiving end, Ranma noted. He smiled brightly in response to the other man's scowl. This guy was just too easy.

The young DI ignored his dirty uniform and quickly made another attempt, which yet again resulted in him being introduced to the ground.

To further humiliate the man, Ranma offered to help him up. He grinned when the guy's reply was a leg sweep aimed to take his feet out from under him. Ranma was performing a mid-air somersault over the DI's head before the man registered that his attack had failed. When the DI returned to his feet and spun around to face him, Ranma was twirling the man's hat around an index finger while whistling an off-key tune.

The mess hall that evening was alive with a quiet roar of hushed voices as the word spread about a DI's defeat at the hands of a Japanese recruit.

OOooOOooOO

Ranma grimaced as he saw his reflection in the mirror above the sink he was currently using to brush his teeth. Every time he managed to distract himself from the truth of his bald head, something inconveniently reminded him of it. He leaned forward and cupped some warm water in his hands to rinse the suds from his face.

When he returned to his full height, he saw another recruit waiting to use his sink in the mirror's reflection. In his peripherals, he noticed that all of the other sinks were still crowded with people in the middle of shaving or brushing their teeth. He was always the first person in the barracks to finish this stage of their designated hygiene time since he never had to shave. It was great because that meant he was usually in and out of the showers before anyone else even got started.

After hygiene was over, the DI in charge of their barracks called everyone to attention in front of their bunks. He started rattling off names of recruits as he flipped through a stack of envelopes in his hand.

Ranma sighed as the final name was called and, just like everyday before, he had received nothing from his parents or anyone else in Nerima.

He found himself again wondering why he was going along with this, since it was obviously part of some scheme to benefit both of his parents, mostly his mother. The conclusion he was reluctantly beginning to accept was that his mother had been working hard to sucker him into thinking that he actually wanted her approval from the moment they reconnected. The sad part, he realized, was that she had succeeded. Despite the fact that his mother seemed to view him as even more of a tool than his old man did, he desperately wanted her to love him and be proud of him.

_'Tch...as if that's gonna happen anytime soon,'_ he thought morosely.

An hour or so after lights out, Ranma quietly slipped out of his bunk and stealthily evaded the recruits on firewatch duty as he made his way to the roof of the three story building. Since the first night, he had adopted the roof as his personal open air dojo to practice his advanced katas and the shroud of night was really the only way to accomplish this safely. He was damned if he was going to let the softness of the military keep him out of top shape.

He let his water shield down, as per his new training routine, and meditated while seated atop an air conditioning unit. Every time he dropped the shield after a full day of wearing it, his body had the feeling of a lung expanding it's capacity after exhaling a deeply held breath. He hadn't been sure the first time he had noticed it, but now there was no doubt.

His ki reserves were steadily growing. The downside, he discovered, was that if he pushed himself too hard while in water shield mode the benefits disappeared and actually reversed. The soul of fire was playing tug of war with his capacity for ki storage. That had been his main reason for falling behind while jogging in the rain for the last two days. He didn't like the idea of negatively impacting his ki potential.

Thankfully, meditation and breathing exercises were helping him get over the effects of the drugs they injected him with. Another night or two of readjusting the circulation of his internal energies was all he needed to be back in perfect form.

Ranma opened his eyes and unfolded his legs before sliding off of the air conditioning unit. He looked over his shoulder and stared directly into the glowing eyes of the shadowy creature that had tried to sneak up on him.

The tiny thing leapt from the shadows and launched itself at Ranma's head.

The bald martial artist slammed a fist into the top of it's head before it landed it's own attack.

"Geez, why am I not surprised?" Ranma asked out loud when the moonlight exposed the rapidly forming bruise on the unconscious piglet's crown. "It's nice to know somebody still cares about me, but a rain check is the best I can do right now," he added. He laughed cheerfully, but quietly, before picking P-chan up by his bandana and punting him into the night sky.

_**Donna Pazzo translation = Crazy Woman ^_^**_


	7. Chapter 6

_**The Will**_

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi deserves all the credit. All bow down to her awesomeness.

_**Chapter Six**_

Ranma shifted uncomfortably on the mound of dirt as he lay on his stomach and fiddled with his standard issue M-16. He paid no mind to the DI pacing behind him and the other recruits sharing his position. His focus was directed toward the target at the end of the grassy firing range.

With his sights all lined up, he inhaled a deep breath before slowly exhaling and squeezing the trigger. A resounding pop preceded the small incendiary burst from the magazine and Ranma shouted in surprise as his hands were peppered with burning embers. Luckily, it was a very brief flare and hadn't really hurt that bad. Nevertheless, the attending DI hauled Ranma to his feet and apprasied the state of his burns before ordering him to the emergency infirmary for a patch up.

He suppressed a sigh of frustration and managed to disguise the rolling of his eyes before dismissing himself.

When he arrived at the infirmary, he wasn't in the least surprised to find the mad doctor waiting for him in an empty room. Her scheming interruptions had become so frequent as of late that Ranma could almost anticipate when she would next summon him.

"Ya know, Doc, I'm really starting to get sick of your attention," Ranma said as he entered the private room. "That stunt you pulled with my gun kinda hurt," he added as he lifted his hands and exposed his burnt palms.

"Don't be such a whiny little school-girl," Pazzo replied, beckoning.

Ranma shot her a glare before approaching and offering up his hands. He frowned as the doctor pulled out a small vial filled with amber liquid. "Geez, more experiments? I suppose you're going to ask for more of my blood too, huh?"

"Of course I am," she confirmed. "First things first, though. Keep your hands out, palms up, just like this."

Ranma complied and waited patiently with baited breath as she pulled the cap from the vial before slowly pouring its contents over his burned skin. His eyes widened in fascination as the burnt flesh fizzled before turning to dust and revealing perfectly new skin underneath. "S-Sugoi...how?"

"I won't bothering going far into the specifics, since your pitiful little brain would have a hard time keeping up, but I will say this; The bioenergy produced by the cells in your blood or 'ki', as you call it, is at a level of saturation that's never been observed by the scientific world," Pazzo explained. "After learning how to identify the high level 'ki' producing properties within your cells, it was a simple matter for me to replicate the process, thus allowing me to concoct the ultra-concentrated 'ki' serum which I just used to heal your wounds. You're welcome, by the way," she added.

"What about my curse?" Ranma asked, getting straight to the point. "Did you get to the bottom of that yet?"

"Listen, guinea pig, I call the shots around here," Pazzo started. "I never officially agreed to study the 'magic' behind your curse. Studying the dynamics of your bioenergy is more than enough of a work load for a genius like me. To answer your question, though...no, I didn't find anything yet. It's a low priority," she said, with a casual wave of her hands. "You can wait. Besides, don't you think she's cute? Your other half, I mean. A hottie like that shouldn't be caged up. She should be allowed to play the field for a while and maybe dupe a few rich guys into paying for some expensive equipment I'm going to need in the near future."

"You are aware that I hate you, right?" Ranma asked. "I could go berserk on you at anytime if you keep insulting me."

"Aww...you're such a bad liar. It's really cute, actually," she replied.

"Stupid woman..." Ranma grumbled. "Are you done wasting my time for today or what?"

"Almost," she said as she readied a needle and capsule for the blood sample she needed. "You might wanna wrap your hands in some gauze too. I know how into avoiding suspicion you are."

The rest of the day had been extremely lame in Ranma's opinion. The DI's had placed him on light duty due to his supposedly injured hands. This meant he had been forced to piddle around the barracks while the rest of his platoon carried on with their regular training schedule. As a result, he had spent most of the day either meditating or cursing the woman who was responsible for his convalescence.

By the time evening rolled around and his platoon returned to the barracks, he was so stir crazy that he had to fight the urge to backhand a DI through the nearest wall for picking on a few of the weaker recruits. He was almost dying to see any sort of action after being idle all day.

After hygiene, when the chief DI called everyone to attention in front of their bunks, Ranma knew he was in for yet more disappointment. The solidly muscled older man looked over all of them before he paced to the center of the room with the stack of envelopes in his hands. As he came to each name, he flipped the envelopes through the air and forced everyone to catch their own mail.

Ranma was taken by complete surprise when he had, not one, but three envelopes thrown his way. He caught each one effortlessly and immediately looked them over. The first was from the Tendo family and it felt thicker than one folded piece of paper so he guessed there was either more than one letter or simply one a few pages long. The second was from the Nekohanten. The final envelope didn't have the sender's name attached to it which caused Ranma to quirk an eyebrow in curiosity.

He quickly decided that he would rather find out how everyone back home was doing first, so he returned the unlabeled envelope to the bottom of the stack before tearing open the one from the Tendos. After unfolding the pieces of paper he had pulled out and skimming over them, he discovered that there were in fact two letters. He had certainly expected something from Akane, but the other from Nabiki kind of threw him for a loop. He shrugged it off before setting the other one down and focusing on Akane's.

_Hey, baka, how have you been? Sorry it took so long for us get this sent out to you. We kind of had trouble getting a hold of your contact info. Nabiki solved that problem though, as usual. After you read this, you should really see what she has to say if you haven't already._

_Anyway, things here are really dull without you. Wow, I never thought I would catch myself admitting that. It's true, though. We never even see your old panda of a father much anymore. He's back with your mother full-time now, by the way. My father is pretty lonely as a result. I guess I never realized how much your father lifted my father's spirits._

_Look, I know we didn't exactly part on a good note, but I just wanted to say that I forgive you. I know Shampoo tends to do random things to trick you into doing what she wants. I was just really upset that you actually took her on a real date. Maybe I'm not the best fiancee, but neither are you. I just don't understand why you let all of these pushy girls have their way with you. I know I've got a temper, but at least I never hang all over you like they do. _

_I've gotten pretty good at recognizing that you're not comfortable with all of that and I never should have called you a pervert. For that, I apologize. I just want to know why, as the one girl who consistently respects your personal space, you never ask me out. Call me old fashioned, but I think it's the guy's responsibility to approach the girl, not the other way around. Maybe you've gotten too used to things the way they are so, just this once, I'm going to make it easy for you. If you ask me out when you get back, I'll definitely say yes._

_I miss you, Ranma. Don't keep me waiting forever._

_Sincerely,_

_Tendo Akane_

Ranma shook his head and sighed as he refolded the paper. He cursed himself for being such an idiot. He knew Akane well and it must have taken everything she had to work up the courage to admit her feelings like that. In that way, they were so alike. Before grabbing the next letter, he made a silent vow to make it up to Akane the second he was back home. Deciding to heed Akane's suggestion, he had picked up Nabiki's letter.

_Hi, Ranma. I'm sure you're kicking ass and taking names, so I won't even ask how things are going for you._

Ranma snorted after seeing this. Typical Nabiki.

_You've probably been wondering why it's taken so long to hear anything from us. I'm going to cut straight to the chase here. Your mother was purposely keeping your contact information from everyone. She sure played it off well, though, and made up some story about misplacing it. _

_I found it highly strange that your 'sweet lonely mother' could so easily misplace the only information that would allow her to stay in contact with her long lost son who had just recently become a part of her life again. I had one of my colleagues spy on her after that. She said she saw your mother toss several pieces of paper into her fireplace almost immediately after getting home._

_My curiosity has been piqued so this one is on the house for now. Your mother is obviously a seasoned liar and has some kind of hidden agenda. It takes one to know one, right? I feel stupid for not having noticed it before. Anyway, I don't know why she would want to make you feel isolated from everyone, but that's exactly what she was trying to do. _

_Anything you know about her that I don't could be helpful to me as well. Oh, and one more thing, be careful when dealing with her from now on._

_See you soon,_

_Tendo Nabiki_

Ranma crushed the paper in his fist and frowned in response to Nabiki's accusation. There was no way he was going to believe her. She had always been the one with a hidden agenda and seemed to like playing mind games for no reason other than making money or getting a rise out of him. He wasn't going to start believing her all of the sudden. Especially not after reading something as far fetched as that. Besides, the fact that she was offering any information for free, true or not, usually meant she was setting him up.

Having been put in a worse mood than before, he briefly considered postponing the inspection of the other mail but immediately decided against it. The curiosity was just too compelling.

He quickly grabbed the postage from the Nekohanten and tore it open before pulling out neatly folded scroll paper. As soon as it was unfolded, he saw the words '_Compliments of Mousse'_ written just above a glowing seal. "Oh shit..."

Thinking fast, Ranma shot an invisible burst of ki at the fuse box near the front of the barracks, causing it to explode in a shower of sparks. This simultaneously got everyone else's attention and knocked out the lights inside the building.

Ranma used the distraction to open the nearest window and hurl the cursed note high into the atmosphere as fast as he could. Unfortunately, even reinforced with ki, the paper note didn't have enough mass to carry it very far into the air before it exploded.

The concussive blast caused the air to ripple with pressure as an invisible shockwave spread across half of the military base.

Everyone inside the barracks, except for Ranma, were knocked off of their feet as the ground shook and the windows exploded into glass shards. A blaring siren erupted from the loudspeakers located around the base several seconds later.

Ranma looked around at the mess that had been caused in part by him and growled in frustration. _'Mousse...you bastard. It's fine if you wanna attack me, but not when there are innocent people around.'_

_**Sorry for the crappy ending to this chapter, but I really needed to get on to the next one. I can't have things get too out of control just yet because he has to avoid major trouble long enough to complete basic training. There will be much bigger things happening in the next few chapters, though, so stay tuned.**_


	8. Chapter 7

_**The Will**_

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi deserves all the credit. All bow down to her awesomeness.

_**Chapter Seven**_

The final five weeks of basic training had been full of paranoia and stress for Ranma. After the exploding note incident, the rumor mill around the entire base was buzzing with whispers of a terrorist attack and undetectable top secret weapons. It would have been fine if everyone had believed that story and left it at that.

However, the people in charge of the official inquiry were smart enough to suspect a connection between the only destroyed fuse box on base and the explosion above his barracks. As a result, the building his platoon lived in had been crawling with agents of the investigation ever since then. He had been pretty disappointed about being forced to limit his nightly training sessions due to the extra security.

He had also received more pieces of mail since then, but refused to open them lest they contain more unwanted surprises.

Pazzo had found the whole thing amusing when she had pried the information out of him and hadn't hesitated to take advantage of his paranoia by pranking him every other day. It was annoying, but Ranma also knew that it wasn't in her interest for him to be discovered so he left her alone.

Today was the last day that he had to worry about any of it, though. It was his entire company's graduation day. Six platoons in total were going to be officially elevated from recruits to ranked personnel on active duty before being rewarded with two weeks of leave to visit their families.

He glanced around the barracks at the rest of his fellow platoon members as a good portion of them were still making the final adjustments to their formal attire. In a short while they would all be required to endure a final uniform inspection before being marched to the giant parking lot that had been set up with bleachers for their families to witness the graduation ceremony.

Ranma had to admit to himself that he was a little apprehensive about seeing everyone. It had been just over three months since he had had any face to face contact with them. He briefly wondered what they would say about his new haircut before stifling a chortle. Regardless, it was a relief to almost be done.

He snapped to attention with the rest of his peers when the chief DI walked in and addressed the entire room. The uniform inspection went off without a hitch and then they were given a few brief words of encouragement before being led outside to assemble in marching formation.

A well coordinated marching procession conducted with all six platoons preceeded the massive company formation they were arranged into for the duration of the actual graduation procedures.

After a lot of long-winded and high-ranking officers vented their gases giving recognition to the graduating recruits, everyone was given the order to fall out of formation and enjoy their vacation.

Ranma took a few moments to shake the hands of his fellow Marines before venturing toward the bleachers in hope of meeting up with his friends and family. On his way through a crowd of people, he accidentally bumped into another new Marine from behind and nearly knocked them over. He opened his mouth to apologize but was interrupted by the guy as he turned around to face him.

"Ranma? Hey, bro! I didn't think I was gonna get a chance to see you before everyone left," the tall dark skinned man said with a wide grin on his face.

"Teddy? Hey, man, it's good to see you!" Ranma greeted before shaking hands with his first American friend ever.

"You too," Teddy replied. "Wow, your English is almost perfect now, man. You some sort of genius or something?"

"Haha, not likely," Ranma said. "I just attacked it like I attack a new martial arts technique."

"Speaking of which, you still have yet to teach me anything," Teddy reminded. "Anyway, I gotta go meet my baby's mama. She's probably wondering what's taking me so long."

"You have a baby?" Ranma asked in surprised tones.

"Well, not yet," Teddy replied. "She's due to give birth next month. I hope she pops sooner, though. Our leave is only two weeks after all and I really don't wanna miss it. Oh, hey, before I forget, let me give you this," he added before pulling out his wallet and extracting what looked like a business card. "This is my old card from when I used to be a DJ. It's got my phone number on it, so you should give me a call sometime. We'll chill or something."

"Cool, thanks," Ranma said after accepting the card.

"All right then, dude. I'll catch you later," Teddy said with a wave before departing.

"See ya," Ranma replied before stuffing the card into his shirt pocket and resuming his trek.

A few minutes later, Ranma found his mother and the Tendo girls standing atop the second row seat of the bleachers while obviously scanning the crowd for him. He waved his arms over his head as he approached them and greeted them in his native language.

His mother leapt down from her spot and ran over to him with the girls not too far behind. She immediately wrapped her arms around him and gave him a strong hug. He returned the gesture but frowned when he caught Nabiki rolling her eyes. He decided to deal with her the next time he managed to catch her alone.

"Ohh, look at you," Nodoka gushed. "My own son, looking so grown up! So manly!" She leaned in closer so only he could hear her before continuing. "I've missed you very much. You've made me so proud, my son. I think I owe you an apology. I should have been up front with you from the very beginning. Can you forgive me?"

Ranma willed his eyes to stop from watering up. He had been waiting for this exact moment and his mother hadn't disappointed him. "It's fine, Mom. Everything's fine. Pops can be way worse than you when it comes to being greedy and well, even then, he's caused a lot of trouble for me in other ways. I always forgive him in the end, so you have nothing to worry about. You guys are my parents and nothing will ever change that. I love you."

His mother broke their embrace so she could look him in the eyes. In that brief moment, he saw an expression on her face that seemed terribly out of place considering he had just forgiven her for acting like his old man. Through the tears welling up in her eyes, instead of relief and joy, he saw guilt mixed with sadness. Before he could see anymore, she turned away and pulled a handkerchief from her kimono to dry her eyes with.

"Hey, where's mine?" Akane asked with mock indignance and a hand rested on her hip.

"Uh...huh?" Ranma asked.

Akane sighed in exasperation. "Get over here and give me a hug before I change my mind, baka."

"Oh, haha, sure," Ranma replied with a sheepish grin before approaching her and awkwardly extending his arms. He nearly yelped when she pulled him into a proper hug.

"I swear, you really are hopeless sometimes, Saotome," Nabiki said after an audible sigh.

"Nice to see you too," Ranma replied sarcastically.

"Be nice, you two," Kasumi chided. "We've only just reunited after all. Pardon my manners. Hello, Ranma-kun."

"Hi, Kasumi-chan. Speaking of reunions, where are Pops and Tendo-san?" Ranma asked. "I wanna get outta here already."

"It seems their patience ran out while we were waiting for you, so they decided to try and find you on their own," Nodoka supplied, having finally regained her composure and replacing her mask of calm.

"Aw, geez, seriously?" Ranma asked. "I guess that means I better go hunt 'em down before they get into trouble."

"My own son, expressing such a low opinion of his father. Oh, the shame! You see what I have to deal with, Tendo?" Genma whined as he and his best friend approached.

"Indeed, Saotome," Soun replied. "However, such is a small price to pay for being blessed with a healthy son who actually wants to follow in his father's footsteps."

"Hm...I suppose you do have a point," Genma replied while rubbing his chin absently. "Come here, boy. Let me have a look at you."

Ranma approached with a confident stride and leveled a smirk at his father before speaking again. "Guess what, old man?"

"What is it, son? Spit it out," Genma replied.

"I think I'll finally be able to defeat the old freak now," Ranma said excitedly. "I've spent the last three months fine tuning my control and expanding my ki reserves. I should be able to outlast him in a fair fight without a problem now! I bet I could probably even take on Saffron again without help from magical weapons!"

"Seriously?" Genma and Soun asked incredulously.

"Yeah, no joke," Ranma said with a cocky grin. "Massive ki growth is a side effect of my curse blocking technique. Although, you have to disable the technique to see the benefits."

"You would really defeat the master for us?" Soun asked in disbelief.

"Well, yeah, of course," Ranma confirmed. "It'd help everybody if he were put in his place, right? No more stolen panties, no more having to flash him to win a fight, and did I mention I haven't been a girl for almost three months straight? By the way, if you guys are nice, I might even share my new technique with you."

Genma looked thoughtful for several moments before speaking again. "Ranma, my boy. You have officially become a man in my eyes. How about I take you out tonight and buy you your first drink as a man?"

"Really?" Ranma asked, his eyes lighting up.

"Why not?" Genma asked. "You're practically one of the guys now," he said with boisterous laughter before patting the younger man on the back.

"Don't get ahead of yourselves, _boys_," Nabiki quipped. "The legal drinking age in this country is twenty-one. Ranma won't be able to drink here. Sorry to burst your bubble."

"Details, details," Genma replied, waving her off. "We always find ways around little things like that, don't we Tendo?"

"Oh, most definitely, Saotome," Soun agreed. "This is a special occasion, after all, so we should pull out all of the stops. How about it?"

"Uh-huh, uh-huh," Genma grunted in agreement while nodding his head vigorously.

Nodoka cleared her throat quite audibly in response to the back and forth of the older men. "Dear, might you be forgetting something?"

"What's that?" Genma replied absently before realizing his mistake. "O-oh, I mean, Nodoka-chan? Honey? Surely you agree to me taking our son out to celebrate, yes?"

Akane approached Ranma from behind and whispered into his ear while his parents began negotiating the terms of his celebratory outing. "Remember how I mentioned him being back with your mother in the first letter I sent you? Well, he was like this the entire trip, only much worse. She's got him wrapped tighter than an Egyptian mummy."

Ranma sniggered briefly before breaking into full blown laughter. Within moments, Akane was sharing in his mirth. Ranma wiped away an errant tear that had managed to escape his eyes during the gut wrenching laughter before making his voice heard once again.

"You guys..." Ranma started. "I wouldn't trade any of you for anything in the entire world. Thanks for coming all the way out here to meet me."

_**Wow, two new chapters released almost back to back. Shorter chapters sure do wonders for my pace. Hope you guys like it. Next chapter will take place back in Japan, by the way.**_


	9. Chapter 8

_**The Will**_

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi deserves all the credit. All bow down to her awesomeness.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'd like to congratulate Tai Khan for noticing Ranma's blatantly flip flopped behavior. I am, however, disappointed that he or she completely missed why (nothing I have done in this story so far has been unintentional). I really hate having to explain my reasons, especially when I believe them to be somewhat obvious, but what the hell.**

**It's no secret that Nabiki and Ranma don't care much for one another. You can see for yourselves in just about any issue of canon that there is never any love to be lost between the two. Now, given his past experiences with Nabiki, Ranma can only naturally be royally offended when she manages to hit that close to a sore subject with him.**

**Ranma is, at least in my opinion, a very stubborn person. Too stubborn for his own good most of the time, actually. Despite what he may have already been starting to suspect about his mother on his own, Nabiki's interference had the opposite effect. A lot of people are like this. When someone on the outside of a close familial/best friend or even adult relationship talks trash about one of the persons involved in that relationship to the other person in it, the person being told often defends the person in question despite what they may know. It's ass backwards, I know, but I've experienced it first hand.**

**To sum it all up, Ranma is clinging onto his denial harder than before and giving his mother the benefit of the doubt to purposely spite Nabiki. He is now at the point where he needs to see hard evidence with his own eyes in order to believe anything.**

**Now, then, on with the story!**

_**Chapter Eight**_

"Sit down," Ranma said after nearly slamming Nabiki's bedroom door shut behind him. "We're not leaving here until this is sorted out."

"Cool your jets, Captain Turbo," Nabiki said sarcastically before seating herself in her comfortable leather swivel chair. "Don't forget who you're dealing with."

"You should take your own advice, Nabiki," Ranma said, folding his arms over his chest before taking a deep breath and regaining his cool. "You always seem to mistake my kindness for weakness and I don't know why."

"That's because showing too much kindness to the wrong people _IS_ a weakness, Ranma," she replied.

"The Ice Queen wants to give advice on kindness now?" Ranma asked incredulously. "What a hoot! You should think about a part time job as a comedian."

"Shut up, Ranma," Nabiki said, rubbing her temples. "Your stupidity is aggravating my headache. Look, if my little sister hadn't finally fallen for you, I wouldn't waste my time trying to help you. I guess the knight in shining armor attitude of yours has actually paid off in that respect."

"W-wait, y-you're," Ranma stuttered before Nabiki cut him off.

"Grow up, Ranma," Nabiki continued. "Akane certainly has already and I know how you hate to be left behind. She wouldn't be making herself available to you if she didn't really want you."

"I..." Ranma started to protest before the words died on his tongue.

"Anyway, Akane isn't who we're here to discuss, remember?" Nabiki said. "Your mother, whether you want to believe it or not, is a lot smarter than she leads people to believe. She's probably as calculating as I am, if not more so, to a certain extent."

"First you say I need to grow up, then you expect me to just trust you like the naiive kid I was when I first met you? Not to mention, you're acting like you know my own mother better than I do," Ranma asked. "Maybe you need to grow up too."

"I understand your point of view, Ranma, I really do," Nabiki conceded.

"No," Ranma continued, cutting her off, "I don't think you do. Did it ever occur to you that my mother wanted to keep my exact location a secret as long as possible to help me out? I haven't told anyone else yet, but I got an exploding letter from Mousse while I was still in boot camp. If I hadn't been lucky, the people around me could have died and I might have been exposed. You should have considered that before digging up my information and letting everyone else know my whereabouts. If you really want to help me, just stay out of my business."

"Leave," Nabiki ordered.

"What?" Ranma asked.

"Leave now before I do something that can't be taken back, Ranma," Nabiki said. "If you don't leave now, the next bit of proof I've gathered is going to come out and you're not going to be happy. You've clearly made a decision to live in ignorance, and you've also asked me to respect that decision. It's probably better for this secret to remain a secret anyway. Especially in your case. Exit my room and go play catch up with everyone downstairs so I can burn the evidence."

Ranma scrutinized Nabiki with a piercing glare. His first instinct had been to call her bluff, but the expression she was wearing wasn't the familiar poker face he had learned to recognize. Her eyes were the same as his mother's from the other day. Guilt and sadness. It actually kind of scared him. Their staring match lasted nearly a full minute before he decided that maybe it was something he didn't want to know after all.

He turned on his heels and left Nabiki's room after breaking eye contact.

Nabiki sighed out loud as soon her door was closed. She swiveled her chair to face her computer desk and opened a drawer before pulling out a folder with several documents stacked inside of it. She flipped it open and took one last look at the page on top of the short stack. "Ignorance is bliss, I suppose," she said before closing the folder and dropping it in her metal waste basket.

After lighting a few matches and dropping them in with the folder, Nabiki swiveled in her chair and opened her bedroom window to let the smoke vent.

OOooOOooOO

"What's the matter with you, son?" Genma called as he easily evaded Ranma's front kick by doing a back flip. "I thought you were going to show me something new."

"Give me a break, old man," Ranma replied. "This is my first time trying to spar seriously while maintaining the soul of fire."

"Just forget about using that for now and focus on fighting me," Genma said. "It's been too long since I've had a good match. Don't make me wait any longer."

"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you," Ranma replied with a smirk before suddenly blurring into a burst of speed.

Genma instantly knew he would be too slow to dodge and immediately shifted into a defensive stance. He brought his arms up just in time to block the first blow before Ranma blurred into another position of attack from behind. He felt his son lightly tag the middle of his back before he could fully spin around with a retaliatory kick. By the time he was facing the opposite direction, he saw the after image of his boy leaping into the air over his head. Genma whipped around to look in the air behind his head just before his feet were swept out from under him.

Ranma bounced from toe to toe excitedly while waiting for his father to return to his feet. As soon as the older man was up, the new Marine blurred forward again.

"Oh my..." Kasumi said after sliding the shoji open on the veranda. She had meant only to notify her father, youngest sister, and the two Saotomes that dinner was ready to be served, but had instantly forgotten why she stepped outside the moment she caught sight of the two men sparring.

To Kasumi's eyes, there appeared to be six Ranma's continuously attacking his father from different angles. The young man's father, for that matter, appeared to be struggling very hard against the various punches and kicks that were sent his way.

Akane noticed her eldest sister in her peripherals and decided to comment when she saw her jaw hanging open. "Those are just his after images. How many of them you see depends upon how fast your eyes can follow his movements. I see four images. What about you?"

"Six..." Kasumi replied. "H-how?"

"I'm pretty sure he's using an old technique called Amaguriken or something, except he's using it on his whole body instead of just his arms," Akane explained.

"It's...amazing..." Kasumi said, her eyes wide with rapt attention.

"It is, isn't it?" Akane agreed.

Ten minutes later, four Tendos, Nodoka, a still damp panda, and a rather fresh looking Ranma sat around the dining table with a hot meal laid out before them. A chorus of "Itadakimasu!" preceded the second round of fierce sparring between the two Saotome males. Their Anything Goes Eating Challenge quickly became the center of attention and remained so until everyone settled back into a familiar routine.

The evening continued to progress in an energetic manner well after dinner was finished.

Ranma had quickly become the life of the little party as everyone lounged around the living room and listened to his funny stories about boot camp while sharing drinks. Everyone in the house was an adult so everyone partook in the alcohol as well as the back and forth. Kasumi had been a hard nut to crack but, after Nabiki spiked her first drink, the eldest Tendo daughter was laughing as hard as the rest and even managed to share a bit of her own humor with the company.

Laughter penetrated the thin shoji doors of the Tendo residence and spilled onto the surrounding streets.

Nabiki, having gotten somewhat used to paying extra attention to Ranma's mother, couldn't help but notice how fast the older woman was tossing the drinks back. She also found it painfully obvious how forced her smiles and laughter appeared to be at first. However, by the time she had consumed twice as much alcohol as the two old men, the supposed alcoholics, her expressions became much more genuine. The woman clearly had a higher tolerance for alcohol than the rest, which could only have been attained by habitual use of the substance. Eventually, Nabiki's observations drifted to the back of her mind as her own inebriation took over.

Akane had found herself in an unusual position almost from the moment the drinking started. She wasn't sure if the heat radiating from her face was from the drinks or the dirty thoughts about Ranma that wouldn't seem to go away. She valiantly beat them down to a tolerable level so she could enjoy the friendly atmosphere.

At some point, Genma had managed to change back into a human before challenging his son to an arm wrestling match which, unbeknownst to him, Ranma had purposely lost. The bandana clad man revelled in his small victory over the younger man before reminding him that he was far from being a master of the art.

Ranma spent the latter half of the evening humoring his old man and Mr. Tendo while secretly stealing quick glances in Akane's direction. He couldn't seem to stop thinking about her and hoped that he she had enjoyed his funny stories. He missed her a lot more than he thought he would, and the feeling had only grown stronger since returning home.

Eventually, something had to give to remind everyone just how late they had carried on. It just happened to be Ranma's mother. When she briefly nodded off from a combination of drunken sleepiness and accidentally knocked over an empty bottle of sake, they all knew it was time to start winding down.

Ranma, in his ever chivalrous mindset, volunteered to carry his mother to the guest room she was sharing with his old man after agreeing to share one final toast with everyone else when he got back. He effortlessly scooped the older woman into his arms, barely registering her weight, before slowly marching her toward her bed.

Halfway to their destination, his mother stirred and regained consciousness. Ranma noticed and gave his mother a warm smile as he very slowly and carefully carried her. "Just relax," he said. "We're almost to your bed. It'll be over soon, okay?"

The moment those words left his mouth, his mother's eyes shot wide open and she screamed like a scared child. Through a combination of his shock and her struggling, she dropped to the floor and scrambled down the hallway until she reached her bedroom. She slammed the door behind her and left Ranma standing there with the image of her terrified face burned into his eyes.

"What was that? Is everything okay?" Akane asked as she was the first to approach Ranma from behind.

Everyone else appeared at the opening of the hallway a moment later.

"I...it's nothing," Ranma replied before plastering a fake smile onto his face. "She just had too much to drink, I think. Come on, guys. Let's hurry and get that last drink in so we can go to bed. I'm beat."

The final toast, and the words said to accompany it, was lost on Ranma. He barely made it through by relying on a set of non-committal responses and forced smiles. He thanked whatever higher power there was for ending it as quickly as possible.

He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he completely missed the open invitation Akane had left for him before kissing him on the cheek and saying good night. He immediately strolled toward his own guest room like a zombie before remembering something important. The next thing he knew, he was knocking lightly on Nabiki's bedroom door.

When the middle Tendo opened her door and saw a teary eyed Ranma, she was suddenly a lot less drowsy.

"Nabiki...I need to know," Ranma said softly. "Why is my mother...so afraid of me?"

_**Cliffhanger!**_


	10. Chapter 9

_**The Will**_

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi deserves all the credit. All bow down to her awesomeness.

_**Chapter Nine**_

"Go to bed, Ranma," Nabiki sighed.

"Don't do this...not now," Ranma replied.

"Don't do what, Saotome?" Nabiki asked. "Finally realize the time I wasted for your sake and the mistake I almost made? I can't help you."

"Nabiki...please?" Ranma pleaded. The desperation on his face was impossible to miss.

Nabiki averted her eyes from the pitiful sight before her and mumbled something unintelligible.

"I need your help...more than I've ever needed it before," Ranma admitted. "I...I'll pose for you. I'll wear whatever you ask me to. Or...or nothing...if that's what it takes..."

"You're terrible," Nabiki replied, shaking her head. "Who do you take me for? There are lines even _I_ won't cross. Besides, I'm a college student now. I'm above that sort of thing."

"Oh...I'm sorry, I didn't realize..." Ranma said.

Nabiki sighed in exasperation. "Did you already forget about driving your point of not trusting me home? I tried, Ranma. I really did. You may be asking for help now, but you could just as easily blow me off tomorrow if you decide you don't like what I have to say. Anyway, the evidence is little more than dust in the wind now. I have nothing tangible and that's really what it all comes down to, isn't it?"

"Nabiki..."

"Ranma, if you want answers, I suggest you get them from the source," Nabiki continued. "That's really your best option at this point. If you want my opinion, though, you're better off pretending everything's okay. You were the one who initially wanted that, remember? Isn't deluded happiness better than the truth, in your opinion?"

Ranma's shoulders sagged as he sighed. He lifted his right hand and ran it through the thick fuzz growing across his scalp before looking up at the ceiling. "Fuck my luck...I guess this is what I get," he said before his eyes hardened. "Okay, then. I'll get to the bottom of this myself. I shouldn't have wasted so much time in denial, anyway."

"That's better. I was getting pretty tired of your shit, honestly," Nabiki said. "Although, denial suits your personality perfectly."

"Your flattering techniques need work," Ranma quipped, making a weak attempt at humor.

"Of course," Nabiki replied. "My comedy is only a part time gig, remember?"

"Yeah, I do," Ranma replied with a half-hearted grin.

"In any case," Nabiki started, "whatever you find out, don't do anything reckless before thinking it over. You can open up to Akane, you know? And, if all else fails, I'd be willing to listen...for a small fee, of course," she finished.

"Me? Reckless? C'mon, I've at least matured enough to think before I say or do anything _too_ stupid to undo," Ranma said. "Give me a little credit here."

"We'll see about that," Nabiki replied. "Good night, Ranma," She added before closing her bedroom door.

Ranma didn't sleep at all that night. After tossing and turning for the better part of an hour, he opted for getting some fresh air instead. He had yet to push himself really hard since mastering the soul of fire technique and decided that there was no better distraction than finding a situation to get himself into.

After a quick bath and change of clothes, the young martial artist left the Tendo home and took to the roof tops. He felt a small measure of relief as he traversed the familiar high road shortcuts of the place he had missed for the last three and a half months. The aimless wandering was cut short when he came across the Nekohanten and remembered something important.

"Mousse..." Ranma growled before dropping down to street level.

After a moment of thought, Ranma walked around the side of the building and to the back where he sensed the calm ki of the sleeping hidden weapons master. He stopped in front of the window to Mousse's bedroom before reaching a hand out and placing his palm flat against the glass. He turned the heat up on his ki until the glass melted into a glowing puddle running down the window sill.

Ranma then invited himself into the sparsely decorated bedroom. He found the object of his ire laying on his back softly snoring with a bit of drool escaping from the slight gap of his open mouth. Ranma's frown intensified and he had to fight back the urge to wake the stupid duck-boy up with a solid fist to the gut. Ambush would make him no better than the pathetic man sleeping before him, though. Instead, he hit a pressure point to make sure Mousse would stay unconscious while he hauled him out of his bed and outside of the building.

He tapped another pressure point to wake the guy up before shoving him toward the opening of the alleyway beside the Nekohanten.

Mousse awoke just in time to stumble backward and gain his balance before falling down. His head darted from side to side in confusion before a pair of glasses were thrown at him. The nearly blind warrior fumbled with the spectacles before catching them and placing them on his face. It took him a moment to recognize Ranma without all of the hair. The moment he did, he shifted his body into a ready stance.

"I should've known an explosive that small wouldn't be enough to kill you," Mousse said before pulling two broadswords from the sleeves of his pajama shirt. "You should have never come back, Saotome!" Mousse yelled before lunging toward Ranma.

Ranma made no move to dodge and simply waited for the Chinese man to close the gap between them. He caught Mousse's first blade between his finger tips and snapped it in half before allowing the second to land against the skin of his neck. The blade shattered as it could not withstand the amount of ki he had charged into his skin.

Mousse's eyes widened in surprise and he hesitated just long enough for Ranma to grab the wrist of the hand holding the half broken sword. The grip was like iron and he found himself completely unable to struggle against it.

"Mousse..." Ranma started, "You have no idea what I am truly capable of. If you ever endanger innocent people again just to get to me, I swear it'll be the last thing you ever do. The grudge you have against me remains between the two of us. Do you understand?"

Mousse used his free hand to strike at Ranma with a spiked club. The strike was blocked and the club fell to the ground. The Chinese amazon now had both wrists locked in Ranma's death grip. He tried kneeing the Japanese martial artist in the gut but was blocked by Ranma's hard knee instead.

"Stop resisting, you idiot!" Ranma shouted. "If it weren't for the sake of not stooping to your level, I don't think I would hesitate to kill you. I am not above permanently crippling you, though. However, I also believe everyone deserves a chance to redeem themselves. Put yourself in my shoes. How would you feel if Shampoo or other innocent people around you got hurt as part of collateral damage from me attacking you?"

"You would never hurt Shampoo," Mousse replied. "Besides, any strangers who get caught in the crossfire are responsible for themselves. It would be their fault for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Everyone affiliated with the Joketsuzoku knows and accepts this rule."

"Wake up, you fool!" Ranma shouted. "Have you no sense of honor and respect for the people around you?"

"No more than you do," Mousse replied. "You're just like that panda you call a father, you know? Always yapping about honor only when it's convenient for you. You say certain things and act a certain way to put yourselves on a pedestal while making others look bad, even though you've done most of the things you're supposedly against. How long did you hide from your mother because you were too afraid to do the honorable thing? That's right, I know all about that. And, to think, after our very first battle I was starting to respect you. That was before I got to know what kind of a person you really are. It's not fair that you, the second biggest hypocrite in Japan, are so popular and have so many friends. You don't deserve all the attention."

Ranma's eyes widened as a moment of clarity dawned on him. "I...I see now. So, this whole time, it was more than just me supposedly stealing Shampoo from you. You're jealous of my whole life, aren't you? I mean, men are second class citizens where you're from so you've never really had anyone on your side. In fact, your entire culture has been against you from the start. Even though you were surrounded by people, you were alone. You're still alone, even..."

Mousse had a visible lump in his throat and was doing his best to fight the wateriness building up in his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but the lump he was trying to swallow made his voice come out as a choked breath. His difficulty did not go unnoticed by Ranma.

"Mousse," Ranma continued. "I...I'm sorry for being a hypocrite. I didn't realize what a bad example I've been setting until just now. You...you've been wanting to make friends of your own for a long time now...real friends that won't judge you without giving you a chance, like your people...like everyone, including me, has been doing. I can also kind of understand how you feel about that, to a certain extent. I wouldn't like being pushed down and ignored either, if I were you...

"Listen...I'm really gonna try to be better from now on, so...maybe you should think about doing the same and branching out from under Cologne's thumb. If we give each other a chance to prove wrong our current opinions of each other, maybe we'll stop being such bad enemies. What do you say? Truce?" he added before releasing his death grip on the Chinese man's wrists.

Mousse wanted to be furious. He wanted to be able to smash the guy in front of him in a blind rage. The rage was absent at the moment, though. He still felt contempt for the man who had the nerve to reverse the situation by seeing right through him and verbally confronting him about it but, for some reason, that feeling was mixed with a bit of hope. Ranma Saotome had actually managed to inspire him a little. And he did it with words instead of fists, for once. He would be damned if he let this challenge go unanswered.

"May the best man win," Mousse replied with a smirk.

Ranma sighed in relief, glad that no blood had to be shed tonight, before returning the gesture. "Thanks, I plan to."

Mousse snorted as he walked passed Ranma and back toward his bedroom window. He paused briefly to look at the now solid mass of runny looking glass that used to be his window. He then quirked an eyebrow and turned his head back to look at his rival.

Ranma simply shrugged it off before bounding onto the roof of the neighboring building. "Good night, four-eyes," he said before leaping away.

"Good night, baldy," Mousse replied.

Ranma had barely made it across two blocks when, in mid air, he was suddenly confronted with something he had not been expecting.

"HAPPO-DAIKIRIN!"

The explosion threw Ranma off of his previous trajectory with the force of a freight train. He squinted through the bright flash and reoriented himself just in time to land his feet against the wall of the building that he had been thrown towards. The reinforced concrete of the wall cratered slightly under the pressure, despite his effort to soften the impact, just before he rebounded off of it's surface.

He found a light post to swing from before flipping over to the roof of the building across the street. His flawless recovery and landing were applauded by the shriveled little man standing on the other end of the roof.

"Impressive!" Happosai cheered. "Even though I snuck up on you under the cloak of the umisenken, you were still able to avoid the brunt of my attack. As expected, your reflexes have improved. You've truly reached a new level, Ranma."

"That's pops' secret technique. How do you know how it works?" Ranma demanded.

"Come now, Ranma," Happosai said. "You don't give this old man nearly enough credit. My two other pupil's may _think_ they know how to keep secrets away from me but, the truth is, I've been humoring them all along for my own amusement. Anyway, I'm glad that you mentioned that because secrets are the very reason I've come to you tonight. I am going to assume you didn't read the letter I sent you in boot camp since you obviously didn't come looking for me as soon as your airplane landed."

"What letter? Wait...the unmarked envelope...that was you?" Ranma asked.

"Indeed it was, my boy," Happosai confirmed. "I was certain you would toss it in the garbage without even opening it, if it had my name written all over the surface. I guess it didn't make a difference in the end, though," he added with a shrug.

"What did you send me?" Ranma asked. "Actually, how did you even know where I was? You were gone when all of this started."

"It's like I said before, my young student. My pupil's can't keep secrets from me." He paused to pull out his pipe and light it. He puffed on it once before continuing. "That includes their families.

"What are you getting at, ya old letcher?" Ranma asked in irritation. "What secret are you talking about?"

"Oh...nothing much, really," Happosai said, trying to sound modest. "Just the biggest secret surrounding you and your family. The one that your mother has been keeping from everyone, including your father...or should I say...adoptive father?"

Ranma, having been on the verge of opening this can worms for a while already, decided to keep an open mind and fight the urge to sink back into his comfortable blanket of denial. "So, if what you're saying is true, the panda ain't my real dad? Hooray, for me, it's a dream come true. Now I don't have to worry about hair loss," he said dryly. "Other than that, why should I care? It's not like it'll change the way I was raised."

"The way you were raised, no. The way you live the rest of your life, maybe," Happosai said, sagely. "Of course, if you want to keep living in the dark, that is your choice. However, there is the old saying...how did it go again? Oh yeah! 'The truth shall set you free'. Wouldn't you like to take control of your life back from your mother? The information I have to offer would surely leave her unable to hold you to the various contracts she has made you sign. A contract holder with stained honor has no right to hold the honor of another hostage, after all. Sounds good, right?" Happosai asked.

"What could she have done that was bad enough to stain her honor?" Ranma demanded. "I may not know everything about her, but I know my mom has a good heart. She's hurting inside, though. I saw it in her eyes myself."

"Oh, my dear boy," Happosai started, "it wasn't what she did. It's what happened to her and what was done in her name afterward."

"Enough!" Ranma shouted. "Stop beating around the bush! I need to know what this secret is, but not so I can use it against her. Maybe, if I know why she's hurting, I can help her heal her wounds."

"Very noble, Ranma, very noble. You might make this old man cry if you keep it up," Happosai mocked. "However, I must say I support the idea Nabiki shares of not giving something important away for free. If you defeat me in combat right now, I'll personally walk you through all of the details behind this secret. If you lose, though, that means you still have things to learn. I will be forced to take over your training and keep this information from you until you meet my requirments for mastery of your school."

"Feh...if that's how you want it, you got it," Ranma said cracking his knuckles. "You should be more careful what you ask for, though. It wasn't that long ago that I kicked Saffron's ass."

"And it was only because you got lucky and had help," Happosai said, challenging him with a stern frown. "Child's play is what that fight was. People like Cologne and myself don't get to be this age by being weak. Prepare to feel my full wrath in a serious fight, little boy!"

"Bring it on, prune face!" Ranma shouted.

_**To be contined...**_


	11. Chapter 10

_**The Will**_

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi deserves all the credit. All bow down to her awesomeness.

_**Chapter Ten**_

The world slowed to a crawl as Ranma implemented his full body Amaguriken speed toward making the first move against Happosai. From his perspective, he was moving at normal speed while Happosai was moving almost as slow as everything else. As his fist descended upon the unprepared dwarf's head, he channeled extra ki into it to intensify the effect. A split second before impact, said dwarf suddenly sped up enough to catch Ranma's offending fist in a palm just in front of his forehead.

_'Why am I not surprised?'_ Ranma thought as his perspective slowed down to rejoin the rest of the world.

He reacted by instantly withdrawing his outstretched fist and replacing it with a more powerful low kick. Happosai side-stepped it so fast that he almost left an after image and then grabbed onto his extended leg before swinging him into a throw. Ranma easily righted himself while in flight before slowing down his landing with two consecutive backflips.

Happosai's form flickered before blurring into a burst of speed toward Ranma. Ranma matched Happosai's speed and met him in the center of their rooftop battle field. The two Anything Goes practioners clashed so hard that the roof beneath their feet fractured from the pressure.

The two men remained locked into a fierce hand to hand grapple as the dust settled around them. Palm to palm, each martial artist fought to over power the other. For nearly a full minute, it seemed as if neither would give up a single centimeter of movement to the other.

Ranma's grimace turned into a grin when he saw a bead of sweat roll down the side of the grandmaster's forehead. That meant the old letcher was actually at or approaching his limit. With that important information recognized, the marine/martial artist decided to make his next move.

Happosai fell forward and lost balance as Ranma suddenly stopped struggling against him. The younger man quickly took advantage of the opening and caught him with a low kick hard enough to send him skyward. The tiny pervert cursed his size disadvantage for the billionth time as he reoriented himself and withdrew an explosive from within his ninja robes. It was time for round two.

"Happo-Daikirin!"

"Moko-Takabisha!"

The glowing beam of Ranma's ki struck the firecracker quickly and caused it to detonate in the air between them. The resulting sound and shockwave not only woke up most of the neighborhood, but also provided enough of a distraction for Happosai to sneak up on Ranma from behind.

Happosai's right leg delivered a powerful kick to Ranma's lower back and actually sent the young man flying a few kilometers across town. Having taken control and successfully moved the location of their fight, Happosai sped off across the rooftops in Ranma's direction.

Ranma-chan crawled out of the remains of what had once been the only fountain within the borders of Nerima ward's park. She coughed up a bit of dirty water, but was otherwise unharmed. Her senses alerted her to the approach of her opponent before she could even think about drying off, however.

Happosai landed on the concrete path several paces ahead of her before he turned around and showed her his sly grin.

The peach fuzzed red head frowned upon recognizing that familiar look in the little freak's eyes. He had planned to move the fight here on purpose so he could get her wet. He was old, tired, and probably needed more lust energy to sustain their higher level of fighting. She wasn't gonna let him get close enough to cop a feel, though.

"Take this, you old freak!" Ranma-chan shouted. "Moko-Takabisha!"

The blindingly bright beam of blue energy was three times the size of her previous blast. It carved a path through a portion of the trees behind her target before she willed it to angle up away from the ground, where it could hit anyone else, and let it dissipate. Only after that blast did she begin to feel the first signs of fatigue. She also felt something else before looking down and confirming that the grandmaster had indeed managed to dodge her devastating attack before latching onto her chest.

"Damn it, get offa me you molester!" she yelled before grabbing and tossing him a good distance away.

Happosai laughed out loud as he gracefully flipped and landed on his feet. "That was perfect! There's just something special about the lust ki I get from you, Ranma-chan. I haven't felt this good in a long time!" he shouted gleefully before performing a fluid motion with his hands and expelling a bright reddish-purple beam of ki. "Kosen No Yokubo!"

Ranma didn't even have the time to yell 'Holy shit!' before she was accosted by the hot beam of concentrated lust energy. This time, she was actually truly surprised by him. She had not known, nor suspected, that he might have a ki projection attack hidden in his arsenal. The shriveled pervert's special attack carried her out of the park, through a few buildings, and across several blocks before she managed to push it off of her. Luckily, she had managed to toughen up her skin with ki, by way of reflex, before tearing through the first building.

The youngest Saotome coughed in reaction to the dust in the air as she pushed a broken slab of concrete off of her. "You bastard...I'm not done yet!" she shouted before her battle aura burst into the visible spectrum with a bright display of iridescent light. The floor of the parking garage she had landed in exploded into rubble as she shot out of the hole she had made and into the air with a powerful leap.

Happosai's speedy trek across the rooftops on his mission to close the gap between him and the busty Ranma-chan was interrupted when said red head appeared in the air several meters above the horizon in his path. The grandmaster caught the Moko-Takabisha she threw at him before spinning around and launching it back in her direction along with a portion of his own corrupted ki.

Ranma had already replaced herself with a doppleganger from stuff space and positioned herself in the air directly above Happosai's head by the time his counter-attack was in effect. She grinned with amusement before planting both of her slippered feet onto the top of the old man's skull and slamming him into the roof of a parked car as she landed. The young woman dug the heels of her feet extra hard into the man beneath her before gracefully dismounting from the property damage she had left him behind in.

She dusted herself off while extending her senses in the direction of the wreckage. When she felt an unsettling absence of the grandmaster's aura, she immediately threw up her highest guard. Not even a full moment later, she was forced to dodge as Happosai appeared out of the Umisenken while simultaneously attacking with the Bakusai-Tenketsu.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Ranma shouted as she cartwheeled through the air.

"I only said it would be a serious fight," Happosai replied. "I never mentioned anything about it being 'fair'. This is Anything Goes, after all."

"Fine, if that's the way you want it, you got it," she said before disappearing into her own cloak.

Happosai closed his eyes and furrowed his brow as he focused on tracking the very subtle signs a person using the Umisenken left behind. His eyes snapped open in surprise when he not only felt it in a single direction, but was surrounded by the feeling from every angle. He cursed himself for underestimating the stamina of Ranma's young body. He hadn't expected her to be able to super speed while using the Umisenken. _'That's right...I remember now. She was always much faster in female form. Damn it!'_ he cursed his foolishness in his head.

The father of the Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu grimaced as several dozen perfectly executed vacuum blades of the Yamasenken decisively shredded his skin with shallow cuts before a finishing axe kick to the top of his head forced his face into the pavement below.

Happosai came to a few minutes later when Ranma woke him up by rubbing a pair slightly used panties into his face.

"Oi! Wake up ya old freak!" Ranma complained loudly. "I didn't beat your ass just for you to keep me waiting even longer for the answers you promised me."

Due to the slight mental fog remaining from just having been knocked out and the particular way he was woken up, Happosai was initially only capable of one reply. "Where did those panties come from?"

"I, uh...they're part of an old disguise...for emergency use only..." she trailed off while blushing furiously before making them disappear. "Don't try and change the subject!" she shouted. "Now, tell me what I want to know."

Happosai laughed tiredly. His expression was a mixture of pride and envy. "Okay, Ranma, my boy. You'll get no argument from me. You've clearly earned this. Take me home and I'll show you everything your dear mother never wanted you to see. I can't guarantee you'll still want to help her after learning what she had planned for you, though." _'Finally, I'll have my revenge on that woman for helping those two idiots seal me away.'_

OOooOOooOO

The two Anything Goes martial artists sat cross-legged on the floor of the eldest's personal guest room under the light of a single overhead lamp. There were several sheets of paper and photos of two young men resting on the floor between them. Happosai once again had his lit pipe in his mouth.

The grandmaster lifted the photograph of the young man with sandy hair and eyes identical to Ranma's in order to hold it where the light shined on it. "Ranma," he started. "This is your real father," he said, handing the photo over to the extended hand of the young man sitting across from him.

Ranma took the photo in his hand and studied it for several moments in silence.

"You see the resemblance too, don't you?" Happosai asked.

The new marine sighed before replying. "Yes, I do."

Happosai held up the next picture. It was of a young man with shaggy black hair. He was wearing a prison uniform and holding up a plate with his name and inmate number on it. "This is the mugshot of the man who murdered your father, Ranma. His name is Takeru and he is your uncle on your mother's side of your family."

Ranma dropped the photo of his real father and snatched the new picture out of Happosai's hands. "She never mentioned him before...I guess it was for a good reason..."

"He is not technically a part of her family anymore," Happosai said. "That's why she and her sisters act like he doesn't exist. Their father disowned him before he was sentenced to life in prison."

"I see...but why...why would he do something like that in the first place?" Ranma asked.

"From what I could gather, your father and uncle were very close friends at one time, Ranma," Happosai started. "That is, until your father started courting your mother without your uncle's permission and ended up getting her pregnant...with you. Takeru was extremely upset when he found out and made your father swear to make an honest woman out of his sister."

"Well, that obviously didn't happen, seeing as he's dead now," Ranma said.

"Indeed," Happosai agreed before taking a puff of his pipe.

"So, what happened?" Ranma asked.

"It seems your father had been cheating on your mother with another woman," Happosai continued. "When she realized what was going on, your mother was obviously furious. I mean, what woman wouldn't be if they found out they were carrying the child of a cheater. Anyway, she was so furious with him, that when he finally skipped out on her in favor of whatever random girl he had picked up, she began secretly plotting his death."

"You can't be serious?" Ranma said with a good measure of skepticism in his tone.

"Oh, but I am," Happosai insisted. "You should know firsthand how crazy women can get when it comes to their men. Your mother had decided to take it upon herself to exact revenge upon him for what he had done to her and would probably do to the next girl. In my honest opinion, though, having a mistress or two isn't something a man should be killed over. But, I digress.

"The point is, your uncle Takeru killed your father. He caught wind of what your mother was planning and was almost as angry as her when she told him the truth about your father. Of course, he ended up playing the part of over-protective brother to the tee and doing your mother's dirty work for her. So, it really was your mother who was behind it but her brother is the only one who got his hands dirty. Who's to say she didn't somehow manipulate him into doing it for her, hm? I certainly wouldn't put it passed her considering how you were brought up-"

Ranma cut Happosai off before he could say anymore. "Enough. That's enough trash talk about my mother for now. Just get on with the story and keep your opinions to yourself."

"Don't tell me you agree with her decision to kill someone over something so trivial?" Happosai asked.

"I don't," Ranma replied. "But I would like to hear the rest of the story before deciding on a reaction."

"Fine by me, but there's not much left to tell," Happosai said. "Your mother was sent to Japan to live with her aunt, by her father, with the order of returning as a proper woman after her illegitimate pregnancy made itself known to him. Takeru, as you know, was sent to jail. And, your mother's current plotting surrounding you and your life began around the time she first met Genma."

"Where's the rest of your proof?" Ranma asked. "You obviously couldn't have been there, so how do you know this many details about something you took no part in? Is it on these papers here?" he asked as he pointed to the sheets of scattered paper on the floor between them.

"Your mother is a very careful and calculating person, but I still managed to snag a few important pages from her diary when I broke into her house the last time," Happosai replied. "These are those pages. Take a look for yourself."

Ranma gulped as he lifted a page and brought it closer to his face. He immediately recognized his mother's handwriting. He was well aquainted with it since he was constantly in posession of a copy of the new contract she had made him sign. After inhaling a deep breath, he began reading.

_"I watched Ranma take his first steps today. The urge to kill him was stronger than usual, after seeing that. Genma, of course, thought I was crying tears of joy. I wonder what he would say if he knew the truth about me? He's such a dumbass sometimes, even if he is just as sweet. I couldn't have picked a better man than him for what I want of little Ranma's future. I only hope I can manage not to slice the child up anytime soon. One day, he's going to help me free Takeru and give him his life back._

_"Not a day goes by without me feeling grateful for what my brother did for me. At the same time, though, I feel an overwhelming sense of guilt. Because of that creep, and my decision, both mine and my brother's lives are condemned to suffering until I find a way to rectify the situation._

_"The more I learn about Genma's unique sense of honor, the more I think it could be used to benefit me in that regard. I've been toying with the idea of making both him and Ranma agree to some sort of honor contract when the time is right. I've learned a lot about Japan since moving out here and the idea of seppuku has me intrigued. My old aunt really was deep into the traditionally old-school Japanese ways of living. I guess I can't say she never taught me anything truly useful. _

_"If I can pull something like that off, I'd be able to give my child a chance to fulfill a purpose beneficial to the whole family while also leaving the option for his death open. I really hope it doesn't come down to that, though. I've got enough of a mess on my hands as it is."_

Ranma's eyes had been tearing up while he read in silence. He blinked those tears away as he moved on to another page and continued reading. The rest of the pages seemed to be different rough drafts of the original seppuku contract with notes written all over them. When he had finished reading and rereading all six of the present pages several times, he looked up and noticed the beginnings of sunrise creeping into the room from the slightly ajar curtain over Happosai's guestroom window.

His eyes still burned from the unshed tears he had been fighting back as he read. When he finally noticed Happosai had fallen asleep, he grabbed a single piece of paper and stuffed it into his trouser pocket before taking his leave.

A short while later, Kasumi and Nodoka made their way downstairs to start working on breakfast. Neither of them had expected to find Ranma already down there serving himself a cup of tea in the common room.

"Good morning, Mother," Ranma said in his lowest voice possible before turning around to face said woman. "Care for some tea?"

"I...sure," Nodoka replied. "Tea would be nice, thank you. I'll be along to help you shortly, Kasumi-chan," she said before the younger woman nodded and continued into the kitchen.

"Have a seat," Ranma said to his mother as he motioned toward the cushion beside him.

Nodoka complied and was soon sipping along side her only child in silence. A few minutes passed before she realized that Ranma had been staring directly at her without blinking. "I-Is there something you want to...talk about?"

"Last night," Ranma started without a pause. "You looked at me and screamed because you thought you saw my father." It wasn't a question. The obvious look of shock on his mother's face gave him everything he needed to press forward. "This paper," he said, holding up a page from Nodoka's diary. "You wrote this, didn't you?"

Nodoka's eyes widened further as she identified it. "How did you get that?" she asked.

"Answer my question," Ranma urged as fresh tears began to pool inside his eyelids.

"Yes, I did write that, but it's not what you think, I-"

"I hate you!" Ranma shouted, standing up and taking a few steps away from his mother. "You...you really did it, didn't you? How could you?" he asked in a shaky voice. "And why would I deserve to die because of something I had no control over? I don't care if my real father was a cheater. I can't believe you would actually wish for my death over something like that. Is that part of why you sentenced me to Pops' dangerous training so young? Were you secretly hoping I wouldn't come back in one piece? Speak up!"

"You think he...you really have no idea, do you?" Nodoka said through her teeth. "We were never a couple!" she shouted after slamming her cup down. "He was the one who raped me! Your fucking bastard of a father was a rapist! I don't know where you got your information from, mister, but you missed the mark!" Nodoka took a deep ragged breath while her child stared on in shock.

Nodoka continued on somewhat more calmly, albeit with more than a little shakiness in her voice. "I never wanted him, never wanted you, and never wanted this lifestyle. And I admit, I struggled with horrible thoughts about you for a long time but I was in a really bad place after what happened. I know I started off as a horrible mother and I still sometimes come off the wrong way, but I like to think I've done at least a few things right.

"That page is only a fragment of what I was feeling at the time. I was tormented so much by those thoughts that I eventually decided that the best thing for you was to have you leave with Genma. I was disgusted at myself for thinking things like that but, at the same time, having you around made it almost impossible to heal. I left you in Genma's care so you would be looked after and so I could heal. I just...wanted to be able to be around you without constantly being reminded...and I needed to be alone for a while. I'm...I'm so so sorry, Ranma..." she said while tears ran freely down her face. "I th-thought I c-could get over it and b-be a real mother...I tried so h-hard for so long to forget wh-what happened but I still see his f-face when I look at you sometimes..."

"She's telling the truth, Ranma," Nabiki said, announcing her presence as she appeared from the hallway. "I forgot to warn you to watch out for Happosai. He's got a vendetta against your mother. You should already know he's even less trustworthy than I usually am."

Ranma's dry mouth hung open in silence as tears spilled from his eyes. Even if he tried to deny it, his gut was telling him that this was the real truth. His mother had the same look in her eye's as the night before. His head hung low as he balled his fists over his knees and gripped the fabric of his pants. After a moment of solemn silence, he lifted his head and looked into his mother's own teary eyes.

"I am truly sorry for what happened to you," he started. "But, I need to be alone right now."

"Ranma..." Nodoka said with a sad look on her face.

"If you'll excuse me," Ranma said without acknowledging his mother directly. He got up and passed the rest of the gathered household as he exited the room.

Akane watched him go with tears in her eyes and made an attempt to go after him before she was blocked by Genma.

The balding man shook his head. "If the boy want's to be left alone right now, we should respect his space. At least, just this once."

Akane gave him a pleading look before sagging her shoulders in defeat. She didn't want to risk making things worse at a time like this, after all.


	12. Nodoka Gaiden

_**The Will: Nodoka Gaiden**_

Disclaimer: Props to Rumiko Takahashi. All bow down to her awesomeness.

**READ THIS: I originally had this side-story exposed much earlier but, after completing my most recent chapter, I think this will work much better if it comes afterward. Thanks for reading.**

_**Part One**_

_**Beverly Hills, 1983**_

Nodoka Haruna watched herself closely in the mirror mounted above her chest of drawers as she carefully applied the bright red lipstick to her face. When she was done with the meticulous final touches of her make-up, she took a few steps back to get a better look at herself in her latest attire. The tight red leather pants and fitted acid-washed jean jacket accentuated the curves of her teenage figure. Her fiery red hair coordinated perfectly with the ensemble in its curly perm.

She gave herself a final once-over before clicking the desk lamp off and making her way toward the thick wooden door of her large bedroom. Her heels tapped against the marble floor of the hallway beyond as she strolled it's length and approached the curved flight of stairs that led down into the atrium of her family's generously sized home. She hummed cheerfully to herself as she descended the stairs.

Tonight was a big night for her. This was going to be the first time she attended a party since getting her driver's license. Her cool status was going to skyrocket the moment everyone saw her roll up in her very own Mercedes convertible. The anticipation was practically killing her.

She skipped the last few steps and approached the front doors with a healthy bounce in her step. Before her hands could grasp the handles, though, the double doors swung open and she was forced to step backward to avoid getting hit. The next thing she noticed was the forlorn expression of her youngest sister, Yoko, as she was escorted inside by their father himself. If he was home before 9pm, then something serious must have been going on. He almost never left his work so early and definitely never arrived with any of his children in custody. He also seemed more irritated than usual. _'As if that's even possible...'_ she thought to herself.

"And where do you think you're going dressed like that?" Takeshi asked his eldest daughter. His slicked back greyish hair and matching business suit fit well with his sharp demeanor.

"What do you care?" Nodoka scoffed. She didn't wait for a reply before side-stepping her father and reaching for the doors. She was shocked when she felt a tug on the collar of her jacket. Her father used his insanely strong grip to drag her away from the doors and simultaneously assert that he wasn't in the mood for her attitude.

"We're going to have a family meeting. It's high time I straightened you children out. Before anything worse happens," he added.

"What's...going on?" Nodoka ventured.

"Yoko, here..." Takeshi said as his glare shifted back to the thirteen year old brunette. "She was caught smoking marijuana at school. What a disgrace you are," he said to the younger teenager.

Yoko hung her head shamefully, clearly stung by her father's words.

Nodoka saw the hurt puppy look on her sister's face and found herself pitying the poor girl. Her elder sister instincts kicked in and told her that now would be a good time to defend her. "Hey, it's not a big deal, right?" she started off. "Everyone tries it at some point in their lives. It's like a right of passage for growing up, so go easy on her."

"If you really believe that, then you're no better than she is," Takeshi replied sternly. "Take your sister and go wait in the family room while I gather the others."

Nodoka knew better than to argue with her father when he got like this so she just sighed and grabbed Yoko by a hand before leading her into the next room. She took a seat next to Yoko on the large brown leather sofa and patted her head in a comforting manner. Yoko was the baby of the bunch and, even though she was already in junior high school, Nodoka was still reminded of the good old days when she would dress her up as a doll and play games with her. She just couldn't leave her cute little sister hanging out to dry no matter how much she got on her nerves sometimes. "Hey, cheer up, okay? This will all blow over sooner than you think. It always does. He'll get mad, we'll get lectured, and then he'll throw himself back into his work and forget all about us for another year or two. Don't worry about it."

"I miss Mom..." Yoko said in a sad voice.

"I know...me too," Nodoka agreed. "Come here," she said, pulling her sister into a hug. "Listen, I know you probably don't want to hear this, but you should just give up on him. He's no good without Mom here to balance him out, so you need to stop worrying about getting his attention. It'll save you a lot of grief in the long run. Trust me."

"But...I miss him too..." Yoko said.

"I was like you once," Nodoka said, knowingly. "So were Takeru, Sayaka, and Risa. We all felt hurt and alone until we realized that we could rely on each other. We may not always get along well, but we all have each other's backs no matter what."

"Yeah, I guess..."

"You'll see," Nodoka said.

The two waiting Haruna sisters could hear their father's heavy footsteps echoing throughout the center of the house as he ascended the stairs to, presumably, gather the rest of their siblings. Their shared feeling of trepidation increased to the next level when they heard their father start a shouting match with Nodoka's twin brother, Takeru. Immediately following the outburst, a frantic pitter patter of footsteps could be heard descending the stairs.

Nodoka left Yoko on the sofa momentarily to go peek into the entryway. She suppressed a giggle when she saw Takeru's half naked girlfriend make a hasty exit through the front door. That certainly explained why he hadn't come out of his room all evening. She glanced over her shoulder toward Yoko and gave her a reassuring smile. When the shouting stopped, Nodoka quickly returned to her seat beside Yoko.

Less than a minute later, a well built young man with jet black hair entered the room clad only in sweat pants and a tank top. He plopped himself down on an arm chair adjacent to the sofa his two sisters were sitting on. His scowl was replaced with a sheepish grin after Nodoka waggled her eyebrows suggestively while gesturing toward his bedroom. He replied with a nod and she gave him an encouraging thumbs up.

Sayaka and Risa, fifteen and fourteen, respectively, arrived a short while later with their father trailing in behind them. He instructed them to sit on the sofa opposite the one Nodoka and Yoko shared while he paced toward the head of the room.

Takeshi sighed heavily as his gaze drifted across each of his children's faces. Sayaka, once his most affectionate and obedient daughter, was now the most outrageous of the bunch. She had ruined the beautiful red hair, gifted from her mother, by bleaching it blonde and shaping it into a mohawk. She had more tattoos and piercings than the rockstars she idolized for crying out loud.

His glare softened a bit when his eyes locked onto Risa. She was still the most neat and studious of all his children, if the book she currently had in her face was any indication. He cleared his throat to try and get her attention away from the book for a moment. When she failed to respond, he increased the volume. The book dropped low enough for him to see two deep blue eyes glaring at him from behind wire framed reading glasses. The book covered her entire face again after a moment.

Takeshi frowned and moved on to his only son, Takeru. The boy was constantly undermining his authority by openly challenging his decisions as a parent every chance he got. He was probably the sole reason his sisters had worked up enough nerve to start breaking the rules. Still, the headstrong personality his son demonstrated made him feel confident that he would grow up to be a suitable heir.

"My children..." Takeshi began, straightening up his posture and intensifying his already imposing glare. "You are all hereby cut off until such a time that I feel you have demonstrated behavior in line with what I determine to be responsible, respectable, and mature." He raised a hand to forstall the protests of his children before continuing. "I'm not going to spell it out for you either. You should all know by now what is expected of you. You were all raised better than this. I must now return to finish the work that Yoko so rudely interrupted," he added. "You should also know that I gave the gate security orders to not let any cars in or out after I leave. Good night," he finished before leaving the room of speechless teenagers behind.

The silence hung in the air for several minutes after their old man slammed the doors on his way out.

Takeru blew out a breath of frustration and broke the silence. "Well, everyone, it seems dear old dad is upping the ante. I think it's only fair that we answer his challenge with one of our own. Who's up for a house party?"

Nodoka's dark expression brightened into a mischeivous smile at this. "I can make some phone calls and have people showing up here within the hour," she volunteered.

"Good," Takeru replied. "You work on spreading the word and I'll take care of the security guards. Sayaka, you and your band have gotten a lot better haven't you? How would you guys like to play your first live show?"

The punker girl let the barest hint of amusement grace her features. Her brother got the message.

"All right, you've got about an hour to get your people over here and get set up," he finished.

"Um...what do you want us to do?" Yoko asked, indicating herself and her older sister Risa. Risa flipped the book closed and brought her attention to their big brother.

Takeru paused to consider them while absently rubbing his chin in thought. "Aha," he said, slapping a fist into an open palm as an idea struck him. "You two can be the decoys causing a distraction for the guards while I sneek up on them."

Risa and Yoko nodded in agreement.

Takeru felt a swell of pride for his sisters in response to the fearlessness they were all showing. He leaned out of his chair and outstretched a hand over the coffee table they all sat around. One by one, each Haruna sister placed a hand on top of his. "Ready...break!" he shouted before they all scattered away to complete their assigned missions.

OOooOOooOO

Nodoka jerked back into the land of the conscious and immediately rolled to the edge of her bed before vomiting onto the floor. She continued to dry heave even after her stomach was empty. When the convulsions finally stopped, her brain registered the ache of the bruises scattered across her body and the slight stinging pain between her legs.

She curled into a fetal position and sobbed as the memory of the previous night's events rushed to the forefront of her mind. She stayed like that for several minutes before calming down enough to drag herself out of bed and into the private bathroom attached to her bedroom.

The redhead bathed herself robotically and stood under the steamy water of the shower long after she was done washing. Her silent tears disappeared in the water and were eventually replaced with a burning rage. The tiles of the shower wall cracked slightly under the pressure of her fist as she slammed a punch into it.

The water was quickly shut off before Nodoka stepped out of the shower and stomped over to her walk-in closet. When she re-emerged from the closet, she was clad in dark blue wind-breaker pants and a black hoody.

She took stock of the disarray the house was left in as she navigated her way downstairs and made a beeline for her father's study in the eastern wing. She pounded on the heavy wooden doors and howled in frustration when she found them locked. When rationality regained control, she headed for the backyard.

She paid no mind to the mattress floating on the surface of the large pool as she passed it. She paused only to grab a metal lawnchair and drag it behind her as she left the pavement.

When she found the window she was looking for, she used all of her leverage to fling the metal chair through the glass before climbing in behind it. The blaring siren of her home's electronic security system faded into the background as she spotted her objective hanging above the mantle of the fireplace in her father's private study. Her father's own katana.

After retrieving it from it's resting place, she exited through the wooden doors into the corridor and was stopped by her twin brother.

Takeru appeared to be still half asleep and definitely hungover. His shaggy hair was matted against one side of his head and he was shirtless. He was also quite irritated by the rude awakening. "What the hell is going on? Who triggered the alarm?"

"Go back to sleep. It's none of your business," Nodoka snapped before pushing him aside and continuing on her path toward the front of the house.

Takeru followed his sister into the entryway and found her already entering the code to silence the alarm on the wall mounted keypad. He was suddenly wide awake when he finally noticed the family katana strapped to her back.

"Nodo-chan," he said carefully, using his old childhood nickname for her, as he slowly approached. "What are you doing with that?" he asked, indicating the katana.

"Please...don't get involved in this," Nodoka said as she purposely avoided making eye contact with him. "Just stay here and make sure the girls are okay. I'll be back soon."

Nodoka spun on her heel to leave but was pulled back when her brother grabbed onto her arm. She yelped instinctively as his strong grip reminded her of being pinned down by someone else the night before. She lashed out with a palm strike to his chest and caused him to stumble back.

Takeru didn't miss the haunted look on his sister's face as she withdrew once again. He also noticed the slight bulge of her swollen lower lip and the black eye she was trying to disguise behind her bangs. "Holy shit..." he drawled as he pieced it together. "Wait!" he yelled as he ran after her.

He caught up with his twin sister halfway to the garage just as she was pulling a set of keys out of her hoody pocket. He put himself in her path and tried to stop her without actually touching her. "Nodo-chan, what happened?"

"What do you think happened?" she snapped, before extending a forward kick which Takeru was forced to dodge.

"But, I don't understand how it's possible," he replied after effortlessly avoiding her attack. "You're trained just as well as I am," he said.

"I was drugged okay! Are you happy now?" Nodoka shouted. "I..." she stopped when she reached the garage's side door. "I don't think I was supposed to remember anything, but...I do. I remember everything," she continued as her voice began to tremble with fury. "He's on your football team. I'm gonna castrate the bastard. Don't try and stop me."

Takeru's throat tightened and his finger nails dug into his palms as he made fists with both hands. "No, I'm going to do it," he said. "There's only one guy I know who could be remotely capable of something like this and I know where to find him. You don't. Give me the sword."

Nodoka opened her mouth to protest but Takeru cut her off. "Don't make me ask again, Nodo-chan. If anyone is going to have blood on their hands, it's going to be me, not one of my sisters. Please..." he added, staring directly into her eyes as he held a hand out to take the katana.

Her brother's eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she stared into them. She swallowed the lump in her throat and relinquished the sword before leaning against the wall beside the door and allowing Takeru to pass.

Nodoka heard the hum of the automatic garage door opening shortly before the engine of Takeru's car rumbled to life. She slid to the ground against the wall as she watched his car disappear down their long driveway.

OOooOOooOO

The world outside of Takeru's car passed by slowly in haze of blurry colors as he drew closer to his destination in a state of mental fog. He spared a glance to the katana resting in the empty passenger seat beside him before returning his gaze to the road ahead of him. A dark road, indeed, he mused to himself.

His sharp features hardened when he spotted his target's red pick-up truck parked on the side of the road overlooking a secluded beach area. A yellow surf board was attached to a rack on the truck's roof. He parked on the dirt patch right beside the other vehicle before grabbing the katana and exiting his own car.

Takeru stopped at the crest of the slope and surveyed the immediate area before descending. After a short trek over a rocky area, he spotted a sandy haired guy disassembling a camera tripod near the water's edge. Stormy grey eyes identified him after he cleared his throat to get the guy's attention.

"Well, if it isn't our 'oh so great' team captain," the other guy said derisively. "I didn't take you for someone interested in surfing. Sorry to tell you, but today's big swell has already...wait...is that a sword?"

Takeru continued walking slowly toward the other guy in silence as he wore an eerily calm expression on his face. He reached his right hand behind his back and withdrew the katana from it's sheath just before his next step hit the sand. When his left foot fell, he exploded into a sprint and brought the sword forward in a swift motion.

The surfer dove out of the way just before the legs of his tripod were cut in half. He took off in a dead sprint toward the slope that led up to the road.

Takeru cursed as he remembered this guy's position on their team was a running back. He took off behind the guy at top speed, hoping to catch him before he made it back to his truck.

He scrambled up the sandy slope and was hot on the guy's heels by the time they were halfway back to where their cars were parked. Nodoka's assailant wasn't a running back for no reason though. He made it back to his truck just in time to dive into the front seat and reach for his glove box before Takeru appeared behind him with the katana on downswing.

Takeru bared his teeth as he let loose a war cry to accompany the blade slicing a gash down the back of the guy's leg. It was enough to make the guy scream, but not enough to stop him from turning around and firing two shots from the revolver he had pulled out of his glove box.

In his enraged state, Takeru barely registered the glancing blow to his left arm before grabbing the guy by the wrist that held the gun and dragging him out of the truck. The guy fired a few more pointless rounds as Takeru's death grip forced the remaining shots to fire in another direction. Takeru finally managed to break his opponents wrist and make him drop the gun.

"W-why are you doing this?" the sandy haired guy shouted as he reeled from the pain of both his cut leg and injured wrist.

"Don't play dumb with me, asshole!" Takeru shouted. "I know what you did to my sister!"

"What? That bitch came onto me! I didn't do nothing wrong!"

"Shut up!" Takeru screamed as he swung the sword down again.

Takeru wasn't expecting the guy to roll to the side and dodge his strike, so he was unprepared when the guy picked the gun back up with his other hand and fired a round into his lower abdomen.

"You should've counted, dumbass!" the guy laughed as Takeru looked down at the new hole in his gut. "This is a six shooter!"

Takeru grimaced in pain and stumbled backward before falling to the ground. He managed to catch himself on one knee and used the sword as an anchor to pull himself back into a standing position.

By now, both young men were bleeding profusely and swaying on their feet. Takeru lunged forward with another strike, but the surfer managed to deflect the blade with his empty gun before landing a kick to his wounded abdomen and knocking him back. Takeru could do nothing to stop the other guy from getting into his vehicle while he was doubled over in pain. He barely managed to throw himself out of the path of the truck as it tried to run him down on its hasty getaway.

He fought through the pain and quickly stumbled back over to his own car. He was soon back on the road and rapidly catching up to the red truck as it approached a curve in the road that ran parallel to the coast. He steeled himself for what came next.

As the red truck entered the curve, Takeru rammed the nose of his car into it's tail and sent it into a spin that resulted in it tumbling over the guard rail. He swung his door open and managed to bail from his own car before it too went over the edge. He skidded into a tumble across the pavement as he and the family katana rapidly decelerated.

Takeru laid on his back in the middle of the road gasping for breath as he continued to bleed out of his wound. He was already beginning to see spots dance across his vision and he was pretty sure one or both of his legs had broken in the tumble but the overwhelming pain wracking his entire body made it impossible to be sure. He waited a few more minutes before attempting to move his body and regretted it the moment he tried.

Not long after, his ears caught the sound of approaching traffic and he knew he was done for if he didn't get out of the road before the cars got any closer. "Well...ain't this a bitch of a situation," he spoke in a raspy voice to the sheathed katana that was still in his hand.

_**To be concluded...right now!**_

OOooOOooOOooOOooOO

_**Part Two**_

_**Japan**_

Nodoka sat with her head resting against the window of the taxi as she watched the scenery of metropolitan Tokyo pass by outside. She could feel a penetrating glare as it bored into the side of her head. The kimono clad woman sitting beside her sure didn't act the part of the sweet old aunt that she remembered from her childhood. Nodoka was sure her father had sufficiently twisted the truth so that this woman wouldn't feel bad about treating her so rudely.

She hadn't even been given an opportunity to visit her brother in the hospital before her father had decided that she needed to move to Japan and live with her aunt. He had actually had the nerve to tell her she had shamed herself. As if that weren't bad enough, she had been charged with returning home as a 'proper woman' representing the Haruna family or face being disowned. To say Nodoka was upset with her father would be an understatement.

If she had not had a good enough reason to hold a grudge against her old man before, she sure as hell did now.

She sighed as the skyscrapers thinned out and they ventured toward her aunt's home in the suburbs of Southern Tokyo. Nerima ward, if she remembered correctly. She silently thanked her brother for forcing her to keep up with her Japanese speaking. Yet another thing she owed him. She swore to herself that she would repay her debts to him one day. _'Takeru...'_

"We're here," her aunt said briskly as the cab rolled to a halt in front of an unassuming house.

OOooOOooOO

The first few weeks had been particularly rough on Nodoka. The constant attention of her aunt as she literally and figuratively beat the 'improper behavior' out of her was already more than she could bear. So, when she began to have morning sickness and other early symptoms of pregnancy, she had nearly had a heart attack. She didn't have to be a genius to know that she would be disqualified from the 'proper woman' challenge if her aunt found out about her illegitimate pregnancy.

With no way of obtaining an abortion, she had settled for the next best thing. Find the nearest man with any sense of honor, make him fall in love, make him think he got her pregnant, and then get hitched as soon as humanly possible. She was no narcissist, but she had no problem acknowledging her good looks. Especially when she had seen them in the mirror everyday for the last seventeen years. Ensnaring any random fool should have been cake for her.

Unfortunately, Lady Luck had frowned upon her from the very moment she had discovered her emergency.

The average Japanese man worth any amount of her time, it seemed, was far too shy to approach a girl as pretty as she was. They were also easily scared off when she tried to be too forward with them.

Nodoka lost herself in the lamentation of her situation as she sat on the park bench and absently watched the wind rustle the leaves on a nearby tree, as she had taken to doing with her brief moments of time away from the scrutiny of her frigid aunt. So lost was she, that when something latched onto her chest, she didn't register it until her bra had been unclasped. She looked down in slow motion and saw the huge puppy dog eyes of a gnome-like creature goggling at her assets while drooling.

Milliseconds later, her left fist slammed into the top of its skull and produced a decent sized welt.

The creature seemed unfazed and merely bounded off of her chest with her undergarments in its grasp blowing about in the breeze. "Hotcha!" it announced enthusiastically. "You sure are a fiesty one! See ya around girlie," it said before bounding away energetically.

Nodoka wasted no time picking up the chase and sprinted after the little pervert who had dared to re-light the fuse of her feminine fury.

It hadn't taken long for her stamina to run out, unfortunately. Before she knew it, she was lost in an unfamiliar part of town and dreading the flack she would catch from her aunt when she failed to return home on time. She cursed the little demon again for ruining her day.

After a fair amount of additional wandering, she happened upon a rather large compound of dated design in the otherwise conservatively modern neighborhood. As she rounded the outer perimeter of the high wall surrounding it, she caught sight of an ornate wooden sign hanging near large wooden doors.

"Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu..." Nodoka drawled as she read off of the sign. "This town has a dojo?"

Her mind briefly drifted back to her early childhood when she and Takeru would regularly attend classes at their local dojo when they were still beginners. They were so competitive back then. The fond memories brought the ghost of smile to her face as she recalled. However, a loud shout ripped her mind away from the nostalgic moment.

Less than a second later, a portion of the thick wall several paces ahead of her exploded into rubble as a young man was knocked through it.

Nodoka stood frozen in shock as the lanky young man with long black hair not only pulled himself out from under the debris, but appeared to shrug it off without a second thought. Before she could blink again, he was leaping back through the hole he had created. She took a moment to collect herself before venturing closer and peering inside of the compound's walls.

Her eyes grew as wide as saucers the moment they registered the all out brawl two young men were having with the shriveled little demon from earlier.

The long haired one in the dark brown gi was pressing his attack on the ground, while the slighty larger guy in the white gi was dancing around in the air like an acrobat. They both appeared to be extremely skilled at their art. Just not skilled enough.

The little pervert was laughing as he effortlessly avoided their attacks and even managed to fit in several bruising insults along with his counterattacks. The old lecher was just too good for them to overpower in a fair fight.

"Just apologize already, Master!" the bigger of the two young men shouted at the gnome as he flipped over it's head. "You know how protective Soun is of his women! How could you do something like that when she's pregnant?"

"Genma, my boy, the needs of this old man know no bounds," the creature replied. "Besides, when am I ever gonna get another chance to motorboat big swollen melons like that? Face it, Soun," the old pervert said, shifting his attention to his other student. "Kiriko's assets just aren't that inviting normally. She needs all the help she can get."

Soun roared with rage and redoubled his attack but to no avail.

Nodoka could no longer remain a spectator after witnessing that exchange. These young men needed help defeating this evil and she already knew what weakness to exploit. She brought two fingers to her mouth before expelling a powerful attention gathering whistle.

The three combatants went rigid in response to the shriek and turned their heads just in time to see an attractive young woman whip the front of her kimono open in a flash.

"Hotcha!" the perverted dwarf shouted before dropping his defenses and launching himself at the woman he recognized from earlier.

Nodoka scowled and clenched her teeth as she steeled herself for the inevitable grope she had invited. She closed her eyes and attempted to block out all sensation while desperately hoping the two young martial artists quickly took advantage of the opening she had just provided them.

After what seemed like too long a time without anything latching onto her, she reopened her eyes and found the pervert face down in the dirt unconscious. _'Thank goodness'_ she thought with a sigh of relief as she watched the long haired young man already hard at work tying his master up.

She immediately closed her kimono and retied the sash, lest she give away what little modesty she had left.

Nodoka tentatively approached the two gi clad men as they pasted spirit wards all over their unconsious master's body. "Is he dead?" she asked after a moment.

"Not yet, unfortunately," Soun replied. "There's nothing we can do to directly destroy him. He's just too powerful."

"The best we can do is take him somewhere far away to be kept under seal," Genma interjected. "Thank you, by the way. You were...really brave back there," he added nervously while looking in every direction but hers.

Nodoka sighed. She knew the image of her naked body was probably already burned into this guy's eyes and he was simply trying not to offend her by averting his gaze. "I did what I thought was the right thing. He got me in the park a little while ago. I guess I was lucky to find this place when I did."

"Indeed, you were a great help," Soun said. "We would've surely failed if not for you. Please, let us know if there is anything we can do to repay you."

Nodoka, suddenly remembering her lessons on Japanese politeness, bowed respectfully before replying with a request. "May I please use your phone to call a cab? I'm afraid I got lost after chasing your master out of the park. I...don't remember how to get home," she added with a slightly embarrased blush. "My aunt is probably going to lecture me for being late as it is."

Genma had chosen that very moment to risk looking back in the young woman's direction. Her bravery, her beautiful face, and her smoking body, all registered in his brain in that single moment as he watched her politely address his training partner. He was in love the very next instant. "I can get you home faster than any taxi could," he volunteered. The words had left his mouth before he realized what he had said.

"Excuse me?" Nodoka asked politely, albeit with a touch of confusion evident in her tone.

"I uh...eh-heh..." Genma chuckled nervously while staring into the dirt. "I can...carry you...over the roof tops," he said. "Saotome, Genma, Airborne School of Anything Goes Specialist, at your service," he added with a bow and lot more confidence. "May I ask...what your name is?"

"Haruna...Nodoka," she replied slowly. She was still trying to figure out what she should do when she was suddenly swept up by the strong arms of the young man who had just formally introduced himself. She stifled a yelp when her eyes landed on the warm smile of the man looking down at her.

"Well, then...Haruna Nodoka...tell me where you live and I'll get you there in no time," Genma said without breaking eye contact.

"It's passed the park on the other side of town," she replied softly, still lost in Genma's eyes.

Nodoka vaguely registered the tensing of Genma's body as he crouched just before launching them both into a leap that carried them above the rooftops.

_**That's it for the gaiden folks! You can all guess what happens after this, so there's no need for me to explain. Hope you all understand a little bit more of what's going on here.**_


	13. Chapter 11

_**The Will**_

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi deserves all the credit. All bow down to her awesomeness.

_**Chapter Eleven**_

"Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink!" chanted the crowd of college students surrounding the bar as they cheered the young Marine on. Hoots, cat-calls, and whistles followed the moment he slammed his last shot glass upside down on the polished wooden surface. He raised his arms in triumph as his opponent, with two unfinished shots remaining, sagged on his stool.

"Woooohahhhhh!" Ranma howled after sliding off of his stool and doing a little victory dance. His audience laughed and cheered as they enjoyed the show he put on. Deciding he wanted to make it more interesting, he climbed atop the bar and rolled into a handstand before walking himself along it's length. As he made his way across, he cleared his path by knocking all the glasses onto the floor until it was completely free of clutter. He then shifted all of his weight onto one arm before using the other to gesture to the crowd and shout, "Watch this!" before springing into a series of backflips that took him all the way back the way he had come.

The bar patrons went wild with enthusiasm and several bras were flung in Ranma's direction by the women who thought it was a good idea to flash him. Seeing this, the martial artist's intoxicated brain came to the conclusion that the ladies deserved a fair trade. He immediatley ripped off his red shirt and twirled it around his head before tossing it into a group of particularly vocal sorority girls.

Unfortunately, the inevitable group of jealous boyfriends came out of the woodwork and tried to interrupt Ranma in the middle of his windmill dance atop the bar, which resulted in them being injured when he reflexively turned the dance into whirl of precisely placed kicks to their faces. "Bar fight!" someone shouted afterward.

As if a switch had been flipped, the gathering instantly degenerated into riot mode. Cups, bottles, and ashtrays were thrown into the air as people started attacking each other with either their bare hands or any blunt object within reach. A flying pitcher of beer, on a perfect trajectory, hit Ranma in the face and made him fall backwards behind the bar.

Ranma-chan groaned as she peeled herself off of the sticky floor, ignoring the look of shock on the face of the bartender who had been crouched down and using the bar for cover. As she shook off the daze, she looked down to her bare chest and cursed her luck. "Hey..." she said as she furtively crawled over to the young bartender. "Can I have your shirt?"

The dumbstruck man muttered something unintelligible before removing his black t-shirt and handing it over. "Thanks," the redhead replied before pulling it over her head.

With her clothing problem solved, her drunken mind realized that her misfortune of having been caught with her guard down was actually going to work in her favor this time. She quickly stood up and, after confirming that no-one recognized her, walked around the edges of the fray and right out the front door of the bar.

"Too easy," she muttered with a smirk before taking off, with a confident gait, down the sparsley populated sidewalk. She made it half a block before she was nearly hit by a black limo exiting an alley. "Hey, watch-"

Her exclamation was cutoff as she was grabbed from behind by two people, one of whom immediately placed a chloroform over her nose and mouth. _'Big mistake,'_ she thought before elbowing the man in his ribs and sending him flying backwards. The other one had another chloroform over her face before she could catch her breath. _'Fuck!'_ she shouted internally as her vision grew dark around the edges and blurred slightly. Despite that, she still managed to kick the man's knee and snap his leg backwards. The suited man screamed in pain before letting go of her and joining his parter on the cold concrete of the sidewalk.

Ranma gasped for breath and stumbled around to view her handy work. The two black suits weren't getting up anytime soon, she realized, so she turned her attention back to the limo that was still blocking her path. She barely had time to register the barrel of the silencer aimed at her from the partially rolled down front window of the blacked out sedan before she was struck in the neck with a dart.

_'What the fuck...'_ she thought after yanking out the dart and throwing it to the ground. Her world immediately began to spin ten times harder than before as she struggled to remain upright. She watch as the tinted window on the rear door of the vehicle descended halfway to reveal the familiar face of an old man with stark white hair in a slicked back style. Before she could think about where she had seen him before, her eyes rolled back in their sockets and she blacked out.

OOooOOooOO

Everyone was gathered around the low table in anticipation of a breakfast that Kasumi was just putting the finishing touches on and an abject silence permeated the atmosphere of the room. Ranma had remained absent the entire day after his mother's revelation and was still unaccounted for. Nodoka, as well, had made herself scarce not too long after the confrontation. Nobody seemed to either notice or care about Happosai's abrupt disappearance.

Akane had been the first to lose her patience and took to searching for her errant fiance before anyone else. When neither Saotome matriarch or her son reappeared after lunch had passed that first day, everyone else had begun to grow antsy and decided enough was enough.

The search party had turned the house and dojo inside out in record time only to come up with a note left by Nodoka. _'Left to find Ranma. Be back soon.'_ After that, everyone except Akane had resigned themselves to wait and expect Nodoka to return with her son.

Despite protestations from her family, Akane had left the house on her own mission to find Ranma. She had traced a route through town that passed by all of the usual spots, but to no avail. Eventually the lack of daylight had forced her to give up and return home. Nodoka was there when she got back and she learned that both of their searches had come up fruitless.

Now, at the start of the second day, no-one made any effort to lighten the mood. Even Kasumi's usually cheerful air, mask or not, had all but disappeared.

So, when Kasumi started back toward the kitchen to retrieve her tea service and was met halfway by Ranma-chan, who was already bringing it out, said eldest Tendo daughter nearly died of relief. She immediately gathered the shorter girl into a hug, careful not to knock the tray out of the hand that held it. Within seconds, Kasumi was joined by Akane and they both held onto the busty redhead who just stood there with her head hanging low.

Akane whispered into her fiance's ear as she continued to hold on. "Baka..."

A moment later, when she felt the two pairs of arms that had been holding her tightly fall away and the tray lifted from her hand, she looked up. Her mother stood before her with a losing emotional battle displayed on her face. Ranma's expression hardened and she was then enveloped by her mother's arms.

"No..." Ranma said before putting a hand up between them and gently pushing her mother away. "I can't do this anymore," she added with a heavy sigh.

"Son...I know how screwed up this situation is, but...can't we move passed this?" Nodoka asked, desperate hope giving way to resolute despair as she studied her child's expression.

"I don't think that's going to be possible," Ranma replied with great difficulty. "I actually think it's best if we go our seperate ways. I can't carry your burdens or ambitions anymore."

"Ranma, what are you saying?" Akane asked, butting in.

"He's going ronin, brick-head," Nabiki supplied with a roll of her eyes.

"What!?" Akane said, her eyes going wide. "Ranma, why would you do something like that?"

"Think about the consequences of what you're considering, boy," Genma warned.

"The time for consideration has passed, pops," Ranma replied, nearly snapping at the man without meaning to. She sighed and her expression softened slightly as she deflated a little. "I've already made up my mind. I'd rather be exiled from the Saotome clan than continue this charade. Mother, I pretty much get that you weren't ever going to actually make me follow through with seppuku. Still, I won't be manipulated by you anymore. Same goes for you, old man," she added.

Genma's grimace turned into a full blown scowl as he let his anger get the best of him. "So be it, boy. Say farewell to the clan as well as your right to practice it's style. Be gone with you!"

"Actually, while you were passed out drunk, I defeated Happosai. Just ask him about it, he won't deny it," she replied casually, with her arms folded over her chest. "If I'm not mistaken, that's something neither you or Tendo-san ever accomplished alone, which means I rank higher than you in the collective schools Happosai oversees. If you challenge my right to practice, then you're more than welcome to face me in the dojo to settle the dispute."

"Is that a threat?" Genma asked as he and Soun tensed up.

"That depends on you," Ranma replied cooly.

_**- 10 hours earlier -**_

Her body rocked forward slightly as the dark sack obscuring her vision was pulled off of her head by a hand with a strong grip. Her state of unconsciousness had come to an end several minutes before she gave her abductor any outward sign of being so. Even when her head had still been covered, she had been able to determine that she was seated in a moving vehicle - most likely the limo she had seen before - and that they had yet to reach the place where they intended to hold her, interrogate her, or otherwise do things that kidnappers typically did with their victims.

As her eyes adjusted to the new contrast of light, she almost went slack-jawed with shock upon seeing the old man's face and finally remembering where she recognized it from. The nicely dressed white haired man let a mirthful chuckle escape him before addressing Ranma.

"Hello, Grandson," Takeshi Haruna greeted with a polite nod of his head. "Before we get started, allow me to apologize for the methods used to gather you. Due to special circumstances, I couldn't exactly set up this meeting using more traditional practices. I understand this must be confusing for you, so I'll do my best to answer any questions you may have for me."

"Uh..." Ranma drawled, still unsure of how to process the new information that her current situation provided. The ghost sitting opposite her waited patiently for her to gather her thoughts, however. "What the fuck is all this about?" she asked, finally, in a tone conveying her ill tolerance for the situation he had put her in.

"That's a rather broad question, Ranma," Takeshi replied casually, demonstrating his imperturbability. "Why don't you start with something a bit more simple? The obvious fact that I am still alive despite being legally deceased, perhaps?"

"Fine," the redhead huffed, folding her arms across her chest. "Why am I having a conversation with a dead man?"

"That's more like it," Takeshi replied with a smirk. "For the sake of time, I'll give you the short version. The industry I built my empire upon is very competitive. Unfortunately, I had to make my fair share of high risk deals to maintain the level of growth I deemed necessary to make my company a success. That method of business practice ultimately led to my getting into a bad position with some very powerful and influental people. Thus, the solution to my problem presented itself in the form of faking my own death and going underground."

"A coward's move, if you ask me," Ranma muttered. "So, you faked your own death, huh? And now, let me guess, you want to use me for something. Am I right?"

"An astute deduction, however incomplete it may be," Takeshi replied as he laced his hands together and rested his elbows upon his knees. "And cowardice had nothing to do with my motivations to go underground. I simply required the advantage of anonymity and ease of operation that being dead would grant me. I couldn't do the things necessary to clean up the mess I made while still being in the spotlight. My activities as of late have been...less than savory.

"Also, despite being in better shape than most dead men my age, I am too old to work at the pace I desire. That's where you come in, Ranma. And, while the term 'use' does apply, it's not entirely adequete for the arrangement I had in mind since you will be using me as much as I you. This will be a mutually beneficial partnership. You will have a say in every decision made that directly affects you. Now, doesn't that sound better than anything your parents have ever offered?"

Ranma narrowed her eyes at the man before speaking. "How do you know what's gone on between me and my parents? I thought you wrote my mom off a long time ago."

"Wrote off? Of course not, my boy," Takeshi replied with a wave of a hand. "I merely kept her at a safe distance; the same as the rest of my children. If my enemies knew how much I really cared about my family then you all would've been targeted long ago. Besides, I'm nothing if not resourceful," Takeshi added with a sly grin. "I've had my eyes on you for quite some time..." he trailed off, letting his words hang briefly. "I must say, that young military doctor that you've established a relationship with is quite the catch, isn't she?"

"What do you know about her?" Ranma snapped.

"Why, everything of course," Takeshi replied matter of factly. "She's been an employee of mine for quite a while. Bright future, that one," he said wistfully. "But...I digress. What I really want is for us to help each other. What do you say?"

After simmering quietly for nearly a minute, she threw her hands up in exasperation and addressed him in a voice louder than was necessary for the enclosed space of the limo. "Well, I've already dug myself in deep with both of my parents and their baggage!" she said with a fair amount of heat. "Why not do the same thing with good 'ol grandpa stiffs?" she added, with a rapidly escalating edge in her ragged voice. "Not like I can actually refuse, anyway! Choice is just an illusion when dealing with older folks, after all. So, where do I sign?" she concluded with a heaving breath.

Takeshi didn't fail to notice her resemblance to that of a cornered animal faced with a fight or flight situation. The wild look in her eyes betrayed her barely contained urge to lash out.

"I can see you need more time to consider my proposal," Takeshi replied, unruffled. "Just to make it clear, though; there will be no contract for you to sign. There will be no blackmailing on my part. I will do nothing to jeopardize our partnership. I _need_ you, Ranma. Probably more than you need me, but I'll do my best to make it worth your while. I cannot stress that fact enough."

The boiling frustration of the young Saotome eased a bit. "Why me?" she asked. Takeshi looked at her with a neutral expression, but she couldn't help but notice the pleading look in his eyes. In that moment, she saw a bit of the same desperation that she had seen in her mother's eyes.

"Because, Ranma...I believe you are the only family I have left capable enough to get close to me and still take care of yourself when the chips are down. I'm not a safe person to be related to, after all. Your grandmother learned that the hard way," he added, with more than a hint of sad bitterness in his voice. After a pause, he continued. "Burn this moment into your memory, son. It's not everyday that Takeshi Haruna humbles himself before another person," he said before inclining his head in a deep formal bow. "Please, consider what I have said and contact me when you are ready to learn more."

"Geez, stop that would ya? You remind me of my old man when you do that," Ranma said, deflating considerably. After Takeshi lifted himself back up, she sighed heavily. "Look, I can see you're serious and I appreciate the sincerity...but I got too much on my plate as it is, what with my mom turning my life into a soap opera and all..."

"Would you like to hear my opinion on that subject?" Takeshi offered.

Ranma looked suitably perturbed. Someone had just asked if she would actually like to hear their opinion before just blurting it out. "Uh...okaaay?"

"If I were in your shoes, I would just remove myself from the equation," he said. "No Ranma, no problem. That would leave you with plenty of freedom and time to figure out a permanent solution to your parental issues."

"You want me to fake my own death, just like you did?" she asked incredulously.

"I didn't say that," Takeshi replied, easily. "Something less dramatic would suffice."

"Hmph..." Ranma huffed as she rolled her eyes and looked away to peer out of the window to her left. As much as she wanted to completely dismiss his clearly absurd suggestion, a small part of her mind absently began running through different scenarios. "So, how would I get in contact with you again?" she added, after leaning back into her seat.

The old man relaxed his features as the twinkle returned to his eyes. He pressed a button on the armrest of the door he sat against and, almost immediately, a console folded down from behind the seat next to him. Inside were an assortment of flip-style cellular phones. "Take this," he said, offering her the one he had just pulled from the tray. "It's secure, untrackable to anyone but me, and pre-programmed with my encoded contact information. It's also disposable. If you ever need to get rid of it in a hurry, press the power button three times within two seconds and toss it. The self destruct itself won't draw any attention, but the odor left behind might."

Ranma quirked an eyebrow in bemusement before taking the proffered item. "Fancy. Do I get a top-secret codename as well?" she replied sarcastically.

"Whatever floats your boat, kid," Takeshi replied with an amused smirk.

_**- Now -**_

"Fine, if that's the way you want it, say farewell to Akane! I will not allow my daughter to be with someone who is no longer a Saotome!" Soun said in outrage, before immediately bringing out the waterworks. "Wahhh! Now the schools will never be joined!" he wailed.

"Ranma...?" Akane spoke softly, her bottom lip trembling as her eyes teared up. "You're leaving me?"

"What!?" the redhead asked in confusion as the shock set in. She had not forseen this turn of events. "Akane, I..."

Kasumi had had enough. "STOP IT, ALL OF YOU!" she yelled, cracking the floor beneath her as she literally put her foot down. "I have had absolutely too much of this nonsense! Daddy, grow a spine and stop doing things just to go along with your friend! Uncle Saotome, you're a complete fool for thinking you can mooch your way through life! And you..." she seethed as she leveled a finger at Nodoka, "you never should have blamed your own son for something he had no control of, let alone expect him to go along with being your tool for the rest of his life. Don't act so shocked that things have come to this!" she finished with a huff before ripping the apron away from her dress and throwing it on the floor. "If Ranma is done with this family, so am I!"

Every other person present was struck speechless with mouths agape as Kasumi stood with her arms folded across her chest and a scowl plastered on her face.

It took nearly a minute, but Nabiki was able to collect herself and recognize how difficult it was for her eldest sister to put herself out there like that without any support. She acted without any further hesitation. "If Kasumi leaves, then I'm gone as well. Akane too," she added quickly.

Worry crossed over Akane's features before being replaced by affirmation. "Y-yeah, that's right. We'll all go our own way and leave you three to wallow in your individual pockets of self pity. We don't need you!" Akane said, finally finding her footing.

"You guys..." Ranma said, a warmth enveloping her heart as she watched them all don the same determined expressions. '_Thank you'_ she thought, communicating her silent gratitude with them through her gaze. She shifted her eyeballs toward the parents before her visage sharpened. "I guess y'all are on you're own, then. We'll see ourselves out. Ladies..." she added before turning on her heels.

The three parents stood as stone statues, each with varying amounts of conflict etched onto their faces. Whether it was pure shock, sheer stubborness, or a combination of both that held them back, not a single one uttered words of protest as their children filed out of the room and disappeared.

OOooOOooOO

"Well, that certainly didn't turn out the way I thought it would..." Nabiki drawled as their small group strolled further away from their home with the morning sun steadily working it's way to an apex above them. Sensing that her attempt to break the tense silence had failed, she tried again. "Anyone else wanna clue me in on what the plan is? I mean, seriously...I expected them to call your bluff, big sis."

"It wasn't a bluff, Nabiki," Kasumi replied in a hard voice. She sighed heavily after a moment and spoke again in softer tones. "I'm sorry to have dragged you into this," she said, her eyes shifting between her two younger sisters. "I just...didn't like where things were headed. I've been dealing with this dysfunctional family longer than any of you and even wasted my childhood trying to keep things together for us. There just comes a point when it's too much," she added, her head hanging low to mirror the state of her spirit.

"We're sorry, Kasumi," Akane said, after the short silence that followed. "We didn't know how you really felt. You never said anything to us."

"That's not true..." Nabiki interjected. "I've noticed it for quite some time. I just didn't know how bad it was or what to do about it. I'm sorry..." she added in a voice thick with restrained emotion. "I've always made it a point to know what was going on around me but I guess I was more self-absorbed than I realized." She let out a strained and wistful laugh before speaking again. "So much for having everything under control..."

Guilt weighed heavily on Ranma's shoulders as she listened to the Tendo sisters. If only she had decided to just disappear with her grandfather right there on the spot. Instead, she went back in thinking her way of dealing with things was foolproof. At the same time, though, she couldn't just up and disappear on Akane without saying a word, even if it would only have been temporary. Now, instead of just her being left to find her own way, the three people who had chosen to back her up had to suffer the consequences as well. What a mess she had created.

And then, she remembered. The object she had been idly handling as she strolled with her hands in her pockets was of great import, especially now. She immediately withdrew the device from her right pants pocket and flipped it open. She quickly found the first and only person listed under the contacts menu before hitting the call button.

Nabiki was the first to notice as Ranma held the open phone up to her ear. She didn't even get a chance to ask where she had gotten it or who she was calling before the redhead spoke into the receiver. "Hello?" Ranma asked, as if unsure of what she was doing. A moment later, she continued. "I've made a decision. I'll go along with you; on one condition." Another moment of brief silence. "I'm not coming alone."


	14. Thrashed Teaser

**Thrashed Teaser**

**A/N: Hello everyone. My apologies for leaving so many fiction projects unattended for a long period of time, yet again. Life and various other circumstances, including computer problems, have held me up. However, I am now able to use my iPad to write and post. This way of doing things is still new to me, so don't expect perfection.**

**Also, due to my PC's motherboard being faulty, I cannot access my previously written content to update my currently posted stories. As a result, it will take some time yet for me to recover it. Until then, I have decided to do something new and fun to pass the time while getting some writing practice in. So, without further adieu, I'd like to share with you all a sample of my newest project in the form of a trailer.**

***Cue the movie announcer voice***

**"In a world on the brink of disaster, one man must gather a team of elite heroes from across the multiverse to stand against an emerging threat to global peace."**

_"Stop!" shouted the young brunette woman grasping the end of a tattooed man's cape as he stood near the rooftop edge of a crumbling building overlooking a metropolitan wasteland. "You'll get yourself killed if you face that thing alone! We should wait for the others," she added with a pleading expression._

_The spiky haired man looked over his shoulder at the young woman while lowering his pointy shades just enough to look her directly in the eyes with a confident grin. "Just who the hell do you think I am?" he said, puffing out his chest while aiming a thumb at himself._

**"Starring; Aerith Gainsborough and Kamina..."**

_"It doesn't matter who YOU are now that I, the Prince of All -ooof!" the man with the flame shaped hair and a widows peak said arrogantly after having suddenly appeared floating in the air beside them only to be stamped into the pavement by a pair of slippered feet landing atop his head - cutting off the completion of his statement._

_"Whew...looks like I made it in time for the trailer," said the pigtailed, silk clad, and grinning young man while continuing to stand on the head of the man beneath him._

**"Vegeta and Ranma Saotome..." continued the announcer.**

_"Get off of me, you buffoon," Vegeta shouted angrily while lifting his head up from the face shaped indent it had made. "I will not continue to be humiliated by a weakling like you!"_

_"Not much I can do about that, V-chan," Ranma said with a shrug before stepping off. "It's in the script, see?" he said, pointing to a thick stack of paper he had just pulled from stuff-space. "It doesn't matter if you're a super whatever, 'cause the author granted my character the ability to embarrass and humiliate you to make up for all the times he's embarrassed me in his other stupid stories and everyone knows story plot always trumps physical power. Anyway, it's the only way he could get me to sign up for this gig."_

**"Kushina Uzumaki and Thomas 'Neo' Anderson," the announcer added before dramatic pause.**

_"What are we waiting for?" Kushina asked, appearing in a flurry of leaves with Neo right beside her. "The very existence of that abomination is an insult to the dignity of the female population everywhere. Didn't you guys see that poop stain on the back of it's panties? Let's pummel it into submission," she added with a crack of her knuckles while sporting a vicious toothy grin._

_"One second," Neo interjected, gathering everyone's attention. "I don't mean to point fingers here, but who's dumb idea was it to recruit the two of us?" he asked, indicating Kamina and himself with a hand gesture. "Neither of us have the physical abilities or magical power to put us even remotely close to being on par with the rest of you. I just don't see the point of us being here."_

**"The action packed, suspenseful, dramatically comedic thriller you've all been waiting for is about to launch and just in time to put an end to the Twerk Monster's rampage. Her 'Wrecking Ball' won't topple this wall. Coming this Fall, or Winter, or whenever the lazy author's ass is sore enough to get off of the couch and do something mildly productive. It's time to get '_Thrashed_'.**

**"This story is not yet rated. Paid for by the Foundation of Underprivileged Chaotic Knuckleheads."**


End file.
